Recently my monthly water bill nearly doubled. I didn't think I was using any more water than before, so I knew it wasn't a change in my usage that was causing it. I'm in a building at my apartment community that has 4 different units sharing one water meter, so every month the management splits the total bill for the building up 4 ways and sends us the bill.
Honestly, I've heard of similar sudden water bill rising situations from a number of renters and it seems this issue is quite common. There could be a number of reasons for the sudden change. It could be a leak in the plumbing somewhere in the building, someone's toilet, or refrigerator could be running. If any of these are going on, they should be brought to the managements attention immediately. There could even be a new neighbor who showers four or five times a day or a vacant unit in your building is now filled with a normal water using renter.
Whatever the reason, because you are more than likely sharing the water usage responsibility with other residents, it's always good to be conscious of your water usage. Since you can't control the other units' water or number of times they bathe, monitoring your water usage and finding ways to cut corners is the best way to do your part in keeping the usage down. There are a few key things that will help you minimize your wasting of water.
1. Report Leaks and Such- Whether the toilet runs because the handle sticks or you have a leaky faucet, let the management know about it immediately. You should always let them know as soon as a leak or something of the sort happens so that they can get maintenance in there to fix it ASAP and stop the water wasting.
2. Shorter showers- We all love a long hot shower, but the amount of water that is wasted during a 20 minute shower is egregious. If you cut your shower time down by 30 to 50% you will see a considerable difference in your bill.
3. Brushing Those Chops- Do you leave the sink running the entire time you brush your teeth? Stop. There is no need to waste all the water while you scrub your chops. If you need to wet your toothbrush first, do it with a slight drip and then shut off the faucet while you brush. Then turn it back on slightly to rinse and wash off the brush.
4. Sound Muffler- If you are using the sink or the running water in the tub to drown out sound, stop it! That is a huuuuuuge waste of water. That's what the fan is for. You could even run the hair dryer if you have to.
5. Dishes and Clothes- Try hand washing your dishes and only running the dishwasher when you absolutely have to and it is absolutely full. If you have a washer and dryer, only wash full loads of clothes when necessary. Do not arbitrarily wash small loads with lots of water. This is also a huge waste.
If you follow these five tips to watch wasteful ways, you will lessen the amount you and possibly everyone else in your building owes every month, and might have some more fat cash in those pockets!
