Reducing your utility usage and ultimately, your utility bills, is probably more necessary than it has ever been. Shrinking these bills means more money in your pocket to tackle other necessities of life. One of the major utilities that we use, is universally acknowledge as “life”; that is water.
Here are a few tips you can utilize to reduce your water usage and ultimately the amount you are billed per for the month:
Take shorter showers: Trimming two minutes off your shower time can cut your water usage by five gallons.
Replace your showerhead: An efficient showerhead can reduce your water usage by 2,700 gallons per year. Look for one with the WaterSense label, which is certified to meet efficiency criteria set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Don’t wash clothes in hot water: Stick to warm or cold water when you do laundry and cut your per-load energy usage by at least half.
Fix leaky faucets: That drip, drip, drip isn’t just annoying, it wastes gallons of water.
Adjust the temperature on your water heater: The default temperature setting on water heaters is typically 140 degrees. Lowering it to 120 degrees can reduce your water heating costs by up to 10%. Leaving town for a few days? Turn your water heater to the lowest setting to conserve energy usage.
Purchase energy-efficient appliances: If you’re in the market for a new washer, dishwasher or water heater, buy an energy-efficient model to yield long-term savings. A dishwasher with the Energy Star label is required to use 3.5 gallons of water or less per cycle, compared with the more than 10 gallons used by some older models.
Ask about discounted rates: Some utility providers offer cheaper rates during certain times of the day, making laundry and other energy-intensive chores 5% to 25% less expensive during off-peak times.
Source: www.nerdwallet.com
