How To Reduce Your Water Bill In Singapore

Are you constantly worried about the hefty amount of water bills? Need some quick tips and solutions? Well, look no further as we’ve got you well covered with this article as it explores 12 ways to reduce water bills for households residing in Singapore. Proceed on to find out how you can save water!

Relatedly, you can also save more on your utility bill by understanding how the current electricity tariff works!

1. Check for Leaks Through Water Metre

Did you know a leaking tap can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water in just a year? This is equivalent to 180 showers’ worth of water. Water leaks combined altogether waste more water than we think and a lot of times, hidden leaks go unnoticed and this creates an even worse wastage problem.

Hidden leaks can come in the form of leaking showerheads and even toilet flappers. As such, the most effective way to look out for hidden leaks is through reading our water meter. Switch off all the water fittings and it is best done when no one else is at home. If the meter dial is moving, it is a sign to give a call to your plumber to fix the leak.

2. Inspect Water Efficiency Label Before Purchase of Appliances

During shopping for new household appliances, you would often notice a water efficiency label and this label indicates how efficient this appliance is at saving water. Purchasing appliances with better water efficiency can save as much as six liters worth of water per laundry and four liters every time you flush the toilet.

Therefore, for appliances that consume a lot of water, such as showerheads, washing machines, and toilets, do inspect the water efficiency label to pick the best water-saving product. Simply do so by checking the number of ticks it has, the more ticks there are, the more water-efficient it is.

3. Install Faucet Aerators in the Bathroom and Kitchen

Next, we would recommend households to install an aerator for their faucet as not only is it affordable, it also does a great job at controlling the amount of water that is released out. Furthermore, it is said that it helps to serve as a filter for debris as well.

4. Install Water-Efficient Showerheads

Similar to how an aerator functions, a water-efficient showerhead is capable of restricting the amount of water flowing out, without compromising the overall performance.

An alternative way to check the water efficiency besides the water efficiency label is to check a showerhead’s flow rating. Measured in GPM, gallons per minute, a typical showerhead has a flow rate of five GPM while a water-efficient showerhead has a flow rate of two GPM or less.

5. Take Short Showers

If you belong to the group of people who likes to take long showers, a water-efficient showerhead would probably not suffice. As recommended by water conservation groups, the ideal shower time is five minutes. If you are used to taking a long shower, do keep track of time by using a timer and slowly reduce your shower duration minute by minute.

6. Request a Water Saving Kit From the NWA

For people who have thrifty spending habits and would not want to spend on showerheads and aerators, one great news for you is that you can get a water-saving kit from the National Agency of Water for free. The kit consists of six thimbles that are attachable to the faucets and showerheads. These thimbles would help to significantly reduce the amount of water flowing through.

7. Check for Leaks In the Toilet

As mentioned earlier, any forms of leak can lead to a major water wastage problem, and leaks found in the toilet is not an exception. Statistics have shown that a leaky toilet can cause 500 gallons of water to be wasted daily, look at how serious of a problem this can be!

Therefore, it is important for households to check their toilet frequently for any leaks and this can be done via placing a dye tablet in the toilet tank. A leakage is indicated when the dye seeps into the bowl, so if that ever occurs, it is time to give your plumber a call.

8. Put Plastic Bottles in the Toilet Tank

If you are unlike those people who can splurge anytime on a new energy-efficient toilet, we would like to suggest a smart financial move and that is to put a bottle of water inside the toilet tank. The bottle fills up some space in the tank so that it won’t fill up with so much water.

You don’t have to fill the bottle up with water, using pebbles and stones will also do the trick. Doing so will help to save an even more amount of water, potentially up to ten or more gallons daily.

9. Wash a Full Load of Laundry

To save water while doing laundry, it is best done at one shot with a full load of clothes. Therefore, try to compile all your dirty clothes for the week and wash them all at once during the weekends.

10. Use Basins For Washing Dishes

Even though it is pretty much the norm for households to leave the water running while washing the dishes, the best way to save water is to utilize both sides of the basins, filling up one side with soap water and the other one with clear water for rinsing.

11. Don’t Use Running Water to Food Prep

Similarly, we would like to advise against the use of running water while washing your vegetables and other food preparation. Instead, do wash them in a stoppered sink or in a pan. Likewise, for the defrosting of your meat and frozen food, use the microwave instead or thaw them overnight in the fridge.

12. Use a Credit Card That Provides Rebates on Utilities

Last but not least, we would like to share with our readers that certain credits provide enticing cashback and rebates when you charge your recurring utility bills with them. One notable example would be the POSB Everyday Card, as it gives a 1% rebate on SP services. Although it may not look like a big incentive from the get-go, a little goes a long way in reducing the amount of money needed to pay for the water bills.

Conclusion

With that said, we have reached the end of this article and we hope that it has been an informative and useful read for you, here’s to reduced water bills for all of us!