Understanding my water bill?

[bostonimproper]

To clarify, I'm all for using harvested rainwater as a primary water source even if you have the set up for it (it's not that uncommon in, e.g. Hawaii). But that sort of retrofit-- metal roof, cistern, filtration system-- requires a lot more work, $$$.

[Alphaville]

yup yup. or build from scratch.

but, you know, successive approximations solves a lot of unsolvables.

[white belt]

To clarify, I'm all for using harvested rainwater as a primary water source even if you have the set up for it (it's not that uncommon in, e.g. Hawaii). But that sort of retrofit-- metal roof, cistern, filtration system-- requires a lot more work, $$$.

Correct. I think that’s why the pros like Brad Lancaster opt for controlling water flows as a first step, rather than storage. Rain barrels are what folks think of first when it comes to rain harvesting, but they should really be considered an advanced step rather than a beginner step.

[Alphaville]

but any step is a good step, waiting for perfection ends up going nowhere. getting started is 50%.

do it, learn something, do some more, learn some more, etc.

eventually you get there.

[aptruncata]

I've explored this part of my expense when i purchased my first home back 10 years ago.

-the sewer charge is based on your use which does not account for water use age that clearly does not go down the drain : car wash, landscape and swimming pools (water evaporates and you need to refill it).

-after considering the cost over xx years, i've went the distance to consider having a well dug on the property.

-i was quoted a price of $30-$40/foot and the water table at about 250ft down.

-caveat was that they were willing to dig it but since (LADWP Los Angeles) has all the water rights within the greater los angeles; they will make me put a meter on it and have me pay for it.

....so that was that.

[Alphaville]

So i checked the water bill and we use 3kgal/mo for 2 people in this apartment.this is with daily long hot showers. And that's a lot of water, 50gal/day/person.

[Hristo Botev]

We were 53gal/day/person last pay period. Should be getting the new bill any day now and will be interested to see if there’s any noticeable difference with me actually paying attention for at least part of that billing period.

[white belt]

Any updates about water usage from your latest bill?

I just installed low flow aerators on my 2 sinks in my apartment:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0096C2I ... psc=1&th=1

So far so good and they adjust from .5-1.5 GPM. My old ones were 2GPM, so using the lowest flow I estimate they will save me at least 5 gallons a day. It’s not huge savings, but at $3 each it may be a good option for you since it will save water that your family members use without requiring behavior changes.

[white belt]

We were 53gal/day/person last pay period. Should be getting the new bill any day now and will be interested to see if there’s any noticeable difference with me actually paying attention for at least part of that billing period.

Perhaps we can rename this thread and turn it into a Water Usage Log? I know there is an Energy Usage Log thread already. I think it would be fun to compare numbers with others on the forums and trade ideas. The average American use per person per day is ~90 gallons. Obviously this isn't a complete picture because it's not capturing the water usage that occurs outside of the household in food production, manufacturing, energy production, at the office, in a public bathroom, etc. But at least it's a start to get an idea of how water is flowing in and out of your life.

Unfortunately I don't have access to my water meter because my landlord pays the bill, but I estimate my usage below:

Household size: 300 sqft, 1 person
% of total water consumption that happens at home: ~100%

Water usage (per day)
-toilet (just #2) - 5 g
-showering (2 min navy shower) - 3 g
-laundry (14 g load weekly) - 2 g
-dishes (hand wash) - 1 g
-drinking - 1 g
-hygiene - 1 g
-cooking - 1 g
-miscellaneous - 1 g

Total: 15 gallons per day/ 450 gallons per month

Measures implemented
-navy shower
-.5 GPM aerator on all sinks
-1.5 GPM shower head
-bucket urinal system
-handwash dishes using Wheaton method instead of dishwasher

Measures still to implement
-gray water capture bucket under kitchen sink
-2 liter bottle in toilet tank
-capture bucket for shower/bathroom sink to get water while it is heating up


I couldn't find a label on my toilet so I had to guesstimate GPF, but I think it is quite high because it is an older toilet with a large tank. The other caveat is right now I am not irrigating any crops due to the season, but I hope that come spring I can irrigate with the kitchen gray water capture bucket and perhaps build some natural structures to direct rain flow (Brad Lancaster's book is on the way).

[Alphaville]

(Brad Lancaster's book is on the way).

good buy! it's not just a super useful read, you're also supporting a good person/project.

[Alphaville]

a late note to add that my latest water bill arrived yesterday and since this thread got started we were able to go from 3k to 2k gallons per month for 2 adults, even with both working from home for a year.

we still take long hot showers but our shower is reduced flow (not "water miser" but reduced).

some strategies we applied:

-grey water in the kitchen sink! i had forgotten to apply this on the regular but found reminder in permies urban badge. thanks to the person who posted link. eta: it was @bloodaxe. viewtopic.php?p=237991#p237991 (bottom of page)

-less frequent/more judicious clothes washing, including washbag instead of machine for small items, plus washing certain clothes as we shower (eg synthetic travel type things that are not filthy)

-"if it's yellow let it mellow..." not 24/7 but yeah it works

i think that's all really. and 1000 gallons? ok! i saw gradual reduction on interim bills so yeah it works. thanks guys!

[white belt]

I finally got around to putting a half gallon jug in my toilet tank to displace some water. Research for that led me down a rabbit hole for increasing toilet efficiency.

Has anyone tried using one of the kits to convert a standard toilet into a dual flush model? Danco is one company that makes such a conversion kit for ~$25. Here is a video showing how to optimize it to your particular toilet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fvWpqNGX8Q

In that video, they measure efficiency of .9 GPF for liquids and ~1.3 GPF for solids on their toilet, which is the same efficiency as the expensive low flow toilet models. I think standard toilets are 5-7 GPF, so you're probably looking at water savings of ~30 gallons per day per person.

I'm currently renting, so it seems like an interesting option for retrofit that can be easily removed when I move (similar to my low flow showerhead and aerators). In an ideal world I could implement a compost toilet system, but that's not feasible in my current living arrangement.