Many people across the Las Vegas Valley are looking to cut costs during 2021. The average goal for the percentage of income spent on necessities such as bills or rent is around 50%. If you’re not careful, this number creeps up fast! One of the easiest places you can cut costs is with your water bill. It may not be your biggest expense unless you’re one of the few without desert landscaping, but a few simple hacks will noticeably lower your water bill.
1. Regularly Inspect Your Appliances
Leaking appliances is one of the ways your water bill can slowly creep up. Small leaks are hard to detect if you’re not looking for them. Over time, these small leaks add up to be quite costly on your monthly bill and damaging to your home. Avoid this by regularly inspecting your water-using appliances by disconnecting and pulling out your fridge, dishwasher, water heater, and washer. Don’t forget to fully pull them out and check to make sure there isn’t any pooling water, warped wood or flooring, or signs of damage on the actual appliance. If everything is dry and in good condition, you’re good to go! If not, you can fix the problem and stop spending extra money on your water bill from leaks.
2. Take Shorter Showers
Years ago, a commercial about showering together to save water earned giggles throughout the Valley; while you don’t need to go this far, you can shave a few minutes off your bathing routine. Taking shorter showers is better for the environment, your skin, and your wallet all in one. We are in the middle of a drought here in Las Vegas, so cutting back on the time you have water running will help save what water supplies we do have. The less time your skin is in the water tends to be better for it as well, as water counterintuitively dries out human skin. Last but not least, the less water you have running, the less money you spend. This hack also applies to more than showers! Shorten the time you spend doing dishes, laundry, and lawn care to save major bucks.
3. Convert Your Toilets to Low-Flow
The modern American toilet is overpowered for the average human needs. Toilet manufacturers think it’s better to go too hard than not hard enough and, while this is true in rare cases, most of the time it, just ends up wasting water. Instead of flushing money down the toilet with every flick of the handle, convert your toilets to low-flow ones. This handy DIY plumbing hack forces less water through your plumbing with each flush. There’s an adequate flow to get rid of your waste without wasting extraneous water. While some internet guides will tell you adding a brick to the tank is the same as converting your toilet to a low-flow option, we strongly recommend against that. Bricks can damage your toilet and cost more money in the long run. Instead, talk with an experienced plumber to see what your options are!
For more common plumbing and other related tips, please contact Sin City Plumbing.
