You probably use more water during the Summer than you do the rest of the year. You’re showering more. You’re doing more laundry. Your Lawn needs to be watered. You’re (hopefully) drinking a lot more water, which also means you’re flushing the toilet more often. If you have school kids, they’re home using up water too. Unfortunately, your water bills reflect all that.

Almost everyone’s water bills ends up a little pricier in the summer. Almost everyone. Not you, though! Not this time! Why? Because this time you’ve got us on your side. We’re going to hit you with the best summer-time water conservation tips we can come up with. You save money on your bills, we… get to help you save money! It’s a win-win!

Tier 1: The Basics

These tips are so easy, you won’t even notice any difference in your day-to-day activities! What you will notice are cheaper water bills!

Wait to Water

Water your lawn in the evening or early morning, and less water will evaporate before it has the chance to soak into the ground. You can use less water and get more use out of the water you do use.

Don’t Prewash

Don’t rinse dishes before you throw them in the dishwasher. Just ignore your parent’s disembodied voice and throw that crusty dish straight in there!

Fill It Up

Don’t run the dishwasher or do a load of laundry until you’ll be running a full load. It doesn’t matter how many clothes or dishes are loaded, the appliance uses the same amount of water to clean them.

Don’t Depend on Disposals

You have to leave the faucet on for a sink’s garbage disposal to do its job. That’s 30 seconds of essentially wasted water for every item you dispose of that way. Try composting instead.

Tier 2: Taking the Next Step

Alright, you’ve mastered the basics of water conservation kung fu. Well done, but don’t get cocky yet. These next steps might be a little more involved, but the results will be worth it.

The Five-Minute Shower

It only takes about five minutes in a shower to get completely clean. In fact, it’s a challenge: limit your shower time to five minutes, and see how quickly you start to see savings. If it helps, make it a cold shower. That’ll get you moving!

Bathroom Cups

When you wash your face, shave, or brush your teeth, you probably use the faucet more than you should. Instead of the faucet, fill a cup of water before you start washing or shaving. Use the water in the cup.

Don’t Be “Workin’ at the Car Wash”

Washing your car in your driveway is terribly inefficient. Repeatedly hosing down the car wastes a ton of water, especially if the sun is out. Washing your own car might be fun, but it’s more cost effective to just go to your local carwash.

Aerate

Have your lawn aerated at the beginning of summer to help the soil collect and retain water, and to prevent runoff or puddling. You can do it yourself with a rented aerator, or hire someone to do it.

Tier 3: No More Mr. Nice Plumber

Time to get serious. These steps may seem like water-conservation overkill, but if you commit to even a couple, you’ll see some serious results on your water bills. Plus, you get to feel like a conservation superhero.

Water Heating Overhaul

If your water gets hot faster, it means you don’t need to wait as long to use it. Start by insulating your hot water supply pipes. Insulation will keep heat from leaking out as the water travels through the pipe. Now if you really want to get efficient, invest in a tankless water heater. These puppies heat instantly, last longer, and never break.

Re-Use

No, we’re not suggesting you drink used water. Even we’re pickier than that. But you know what isn’t? Your lawn and garden! Use cooking, bathing, or cleaning water to water your plants, and you can maximize how much use water gets and save a lot of it at the same time.

Go With the Low-Flow

“Low-flow” faucets, toilets, and showerheads are appliances designed to use less water than conventional models. These water appliances increase the pressure of water instead of using more. They accomplish the same results as traditional models and can save you a lot on water year-over-year.

Landscape

Look for ways to minimize the amount of water you need to use on your lawn and garden. Position sprinklers effectively, make shade, use stones or other aesthetically pleasing decorations instead of grass, or even uproot and move plants to more strategic positions.

Of course, we saved probably the most important tip for last. Nothing wastes as much water as a plumbing problem. Whether it’s a simple dripping faucet or a hairline pipe fracture in the basement, leaks and drips all waste tons of water over time.

One of the best ways you can save money on your water bill is by having a professional plumber inspect your pipes and let you know where you’re wasting water. Give Ben Franklin a call today, and together we can become more water efficient than they could possibly imagine!

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