If you have a water meter fitted in your home, or if you’re thinking of having one fitted, one thing you may be interested in is how to reduce the amount of water you use on a daily basis. After all, the purpose of switching to a meter is often to help reduce your utility bills. In this blog, we look at how your plumber Bristol based could help you in your mission!
Everyone knows the key to saving water is to simply use less water. And we all know that we should take quick showers instead of long baths; use the garage car wash instead of getting your hose out; and collect rainwater to water your plants. But did you know that your plumber Bristol also has a host of other tips to cut your water consumption? First of all, prevention is better than cure, so check around the house for dripping taps and leaky toilets. It’s estimated, for instance, that the drip caused by one faulty washer on a tap on the bathroom sink can waste around one to two thousand gallons of water every year. That’s water you’re paying for but not getting the benefit of. Likewise, if your loo has sprung a leak, you’re looking at an additional 500 gallons of water down the drain – literally! – each and every day. Ask a trusted Somerset plumbing and heating firm to check around the house and carry out all those little repairs you’ve been meaning to get around to and you could see your bills drop almost instantly. But if you’re prepared to invest just a little to save over the longer term, there are other measures your local plumbers Bristol can recommend and install for you that can increase your savings.
Ask your plumber about lower flow taps, aerators and flow regulators, for example. These measures can be fitted on kitchen and bathroom sinks, and even on shower units, to reduce the amount of water that flows from each appliance when in use. Don’t worry – you probably won’t even notice the difference. A flow tap aerator or regulator is designed with precision-made holes that mix air into the water as it comes out of the tap or shower, without changing how it feels to the user. While your existing tap will gush out around 15 to 18 litres a minute, a low flow tap will use only around a third of that. That’s a big difference. Another good tip is to check the age of your central heating boiler. These have a standard life of around 15 years, but do tend to deteriorate in performance as they age. They therefore use far more energy than is necessary to heat the water you’re using; so you have to run the taps longer to achieve the same result, thus wasting water and energy too. Plumbers in Bristol area who also specialise in heating solutions will be able to advise on the advantages of updating your boiler and how much that could save you.
Any good plumber Bristol will also talk you through other areas where you may be wasting water and therefore hiking up your bills. If you’ve noticed a sudden spike in your water bill, for instance, you may have a hidden leak – an expert plumber will help you track that down and get it fixed pronto, to save you money for the future.