Water and Money Saving Tips

6/29/2022 (Permalink)

With the cost of absolutely everything going up, what can we do to save on some of our bills around the house? Take water for example. Many people are seeing an increase in their water bill by 15-20% over the last 2 months. Most people didn’t budget for this, so we researched ways to lower your water bill, and leaving less of a foot print on the environment.  

We started by contacting some local village offices and then heard about the Rain Barrel Program. Many municipalities participate in this program. They give you a recycled barrel to put under your drain pipe to catch rain water. This water is not potable, but it is rain water. It can be used to water the garden, lawn, wash the car, etc. It will also cut down on the sprinkler system use and using your hose to water the lawn.   Suggested times for watering your lawn is to cut it down to 7 minutes at 6:00AM and 7 minutes at 9:00PM. Adjust the times accordingly as you see how your lawn looks. We want to save water but not at the risk of our lawn dying.  

If you can’t get a rain barrel check your garage, you probably have something, even an old garbage can will work. The cover must be sealed with just a 2-inch hole to catch the rain water. Think safety as far as animals or small kids being around.  

Next research was how to save on water use inside.  This was a little tougher it seemed. Most suggested cutting showers down to 3-5 minutes. That will take some getting used to.  Not letting the water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.  

 When doing dishes, run the dishwasher only when it’s full and on a shorter cycle. If you are washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run the whole time.  

 When doing laundry, only use your washing machine when you have enough for a full load.   

Installing a faucet aerator, water saving shower heads, and water saving toilets are also going to help cut down on water use, but also water pressure. This will take some getting used to! 

It was also suggested to us that during the installation of faucet aerators, several people discovered slow leaks. SERVPRO of White Plains can certainly help with leak problems should they occur, but we also hope these water saving ideas, will help you our as well.