5 Reasons Why Your Hot Water Bill Is So High

Water is a significant utility in the home. Receiving a high water bill may indicate a change in consumption. When your water bill is higher than normal, it’s critical to track down the cause and address it as soon as possible. Here are the common reasons why your water bill may be high and some tips to help lower it.

Common Causes of High Water Bill

• A leaky toilet: The toilet uses a lot of water in a day (up to 20 litres per flush). It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a small leak in your toilet wastes water and can lead to a large increase in your water bill.

• A dripping faucet:  A tap that won’t stop leaking no matter how tight you close can waste up to 3 litres per day, or 120 litres per month.

• Watering the lawn: How often do you set the sprinkler turning on the lawn? Watering the new plants in your yard may be responsible for the high water bills in your home. It’s also worth considering changing the sprinkler cycles depending on the season – so in winter you may have it turned off, but in summer you would run it at night to avoid evaporation. Check with your plumber or gardener to ensure that your sprinklers are running efficiently.
• Seasonal changes: Your water consumption patterns can change in summer because of more regular showers or laundry, you may need to fill up your pool, or you may need to water your lawn more frequently.
• A broken water pipe/leak: An underground water leakage can creep up on you. Check for a puddle or lush green patch in the backyard because it indicates an underground leak in your pipes.
• Old water fixtures: Outdated water fixtures such as faucets, showerheads, toilets and other water equipment are inefficient because they can break or leak unexpectedly.

How To Control Your Water Bill

1. Fix leaky faucets: Leaking faucets can lose gallons of water in a day and millions by the end month. Therefore, call a plumber to repair leaking faucets and save you the waste. Alternatively, get your repair kit and do it yourself.
2. Run full loads: It is recommended to run full loads on your washing machine because small, frequent washings consume a lot of water. Additionally, washing a few clothes runs your machine down and uses a few more units of electricity.
3. Invest in water-efficient showers: Talk to your plumber for better shower options that warm water instantly and tankless water solutions in the home. Alternatively, you can limit your shower period to last for a few minutes. Low-flow showerhead allows just-enough water to flow in the shower, saving you from wastage.
4. Adjust water temperatures away from the sinks: It may be better to heat or cool water in a different place and not directly from the faucet.
5. Collect rainwater: Store water in tanks during the rainy season and save your meter from reading for a month or two.  You can use the rainwater to water the lawn and for other domestic uses.
6. Install water-efficient toilets: Replace old toilets with more efficient ones. Water-efficient toilets use less water per flush and can help you slash your bills.