12 ways to cut your water bill, ranked by payback

Water and sewer rates have been rising faster than inflation in many cities as utilities fund pipe replacement and treatment upgrades. The fastest savings usually come from leaks you can’t see and fixtures older than your phone contract. Here’s what to do, from instant payback to longer-term.

Free or almost free

1. Find hidden leaks

The EPA’s WaterSense program estimates household leaks waste nearly 10,000 gallons a year in the average home, and about 10% of homes have leaks wasting 90 gallons or more a day. Test: read your water meter, use no water for two hours, then read it again. If it moved, you have a leak.

2. Do the toilet dye test

Put a few drops of food colouring in the tank. If colour shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, the flapper is leaking. A new flapper costs a few dollars and is a 10-minute job. A silently running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day.

3. Fix dripping faucets

One drip per second adds up to more than 3,000 gallons a year. Usually it’s a worn washer or cartridge. Run the numbers on our leak cost calculator.

4. Shorten showers by two minutes

With a standard 2.5 gpm showerhead, two minutes less saves 5 gallons per shower — about 1,800 gallons a year per person, plus the energy to heat it.

5. Run full loads only

Dishwashers and washing machines use about the same water whether they’re full or half-empty.

Low cost, fast payback

6. Install WaterSense showerheads

WaterSense showerheads use no more than 2.0 gpm (vs. the 2.5 gpm federal standard) while meeting spray-performance tests. They often cost $15–$40 and pay back within months, especially counting water-heating energy.

7. Add faucet aerators

Bathroom aerators at 1.5 gpm or less cost a few dollars each.

8. Water the lawn smarter

Water early in the morning, deeply and less often. Outdoor watering can be 30% or more of household use in summer in dry regions. A WaterSense-labelled smart irrigation controller adjusts to the weather.

Bigger upgrades

9. Replace pre-1994 toilets

Older toilets can use 3.5 gallons per flush or more. WaterSense toilets use 1.28 gallons or less. For a family of four, that can save thousands of gallons a year. Many utilities offer rebates — check the WaterSense rebate finder.

10. Upgrade to an ENERGY STAR washer

Efficient front-loaders and high-efficiency top-loaders use far less water per load than older top-loaders.

11. Insulate hot water pipes

You’ll waste less water waiting for it to warm up.

12. Check your bill for the sewer charge

Sewer charges are often based on winter water use. Fixing leaks before the winter averaging period can cut your sewer bill for the whole following year. Ask your utility how it calculates the charge.

Estimate your household use

Use our household water use estimator to see where your water goes and how much efficient fixtures would save.

Bottom line

Start with the free meter test and toilet dye test this weekend. Then swap the showerhead. Those three steps alone cover most of the savings for most homes.