With rates for water usage on the rise, you might looking for ways to use (and therefore pay for) less water. Figuring out which of your appliances are using the most water, keeping faucets flowing only when needed, and tracking down leaks in outdoor sprinklers and hoses are a few ways to cut your water usage. Older appliances, like washing machines and dishwashers, can also contribute to a higher bill, and might be worth replacing if they’re past their prime.
But how can you gauge your usage and determine where you can cut back? Here are a few apps that can help.
Dropcountr is an app that links with your utility provider to give you information directly from your local water company. This app will help you to monitor usage and can notify you of spikes potentially caused by a leak. It’s not available everywhere, so check in the app to see if your area is covered. This app has been around for over a decade, so many of the bugs have been worked out, but since it’s limited in the area it covers, it’s not for everyone.
You can use Eye on Water if you’re a resident of California, New Mexico, and Hawaii, among other places. This app will help you keep an eye on your water usage, identify trends, and help you make a customized plan to save water. It connects with your water utility to provide information on your water usage and allows you to see both short and long-term usage reports. It’s not available everywhere, but it does cover many utility providers. To see if your area is covered, download the app and input your zip code.
This free online app will ask you a series of questions about your daily activities and then calculate your total water footprint based on your geographic location, habits, and even what kind of food you eat. It can generate a report on your water usage, including information on indoor and outdoor home use as well as what they call “virtual” water usage, best defined as indirect water usage from the food and products you buy. Although the last category won’t help you save on your water bill, the first two will, so it’s worth a go if you want to get a basic sense of all the ways you are using water in your home. The Water Footprint Calculator doesn’t collect data through your utility, so it’s useful only if you answer all the questions accurately.
Using an app that gamifies taking shorter showers can be a fun way to use less water and save on your water bill. You begin by setting yourself a goal; the timer will chime to alert you to next steps as you go. The idea is to race yourself to eventually get to a shorter shower time. This app could be particularly useful for kids who like to luxuriate in long showers, but adults can use gamification to change their habits too.
Some municipalities have their own water monitoring apps that can be connected to your utility account, while others will connect with a larger app platform to help you conserve water. Checking your local water utility website or your city or county website for information on available apps or other water-saving programs is a good place to start.
Finally, if you have a smart water meter, you can use it along with an app to monitor your personal water use in real time. Once the smart device is installed, it can tell you how much water you’re using now, and give you a report on water usage over time. This can help you detect leaks and save on your water bill as you identify high usage appliances and habits. Smart water monitors can also shut off your water in the event that it detects a leak to save you from a flood.
