This time of year many new homeowners may be surprised to see their water bills start to increase. Many home have pools that are now in use regularly. Others find themselves watering their yards more, taking on more outdoor projects that require water, or even letting the water run in the backyard as a distraction for bored kids that are home for the summer. Still others will have no idea why their water bill is increasing, but they simply don’t like it. Regardless of the reason, if you’ve decided you want to watch your water usage this summer, we have some suggestions for you that won’t hurt a bit.
#1 Check Your Habits: How long are your showers and how much time do your kids spend in the shower? Make a goal to cut showers back by 5-10 minutes. Don’t run your dishwasher or washing machine unless you’ve got a full load. Lastly, don’t leave the water running when washing dishes or brushing teeth.
#2 Fixtures, Tools & Appliances: Take advantage of opportunities to use tools, fixtures, appliances, landscape designs, etc. that come with decreased water usage. Oftentimes your energy company will provide you water-saving devices at no cost to you.
#3 Watch Out for Leaks: Keep an eye out for pesky leaks that can be a constant drain on your water bill. The average household loses more than 10,000 gallons of water each year due to leaks or malfunctions in toilets, water softeners or pool pumps.
#4 Reduce Your Yard’s Water Usage: If you’re having a hard time getting your kids to adhere to the new goals mentioned above under Check Your Habits, you might get a little excited that this tip only suggests you get control of the amount of water your yard is using. Up to 70% of all water usage is outdoors. That means that paying attention to the amount of water used for your landscaping is one of the easiest ways to see drastic results when trying to decrease water usage and save money.
It’s not hard to start saving on water! It’s actually quite simple and you can get started on it today.
To find out more about maintaining your new home or to get information on active Lennar communities in your area, visit us online at www.lennar.com/raleigh.
