Water bills have several components different than other utilities that are mostly unknown to customers. Listed on your bill is the meter size, which for a residential home is usually 5/8” or 3/4”. Based on this size there is a minimum charge for using water (between $10-15/month). Then any usage above this minimum, which can vary widely, is charged per 100 gallons. If your water utility also provides wastewater treatment, then based on your usage the utility makes a standardized determination of what water goes from your house and down the drain into the sewer system.

Like gas and electric, more and more water meters can be read electronically from outside the home, if not then a meter-reader must visit the house at least every three months to make sure that estimated reads are correct. Since all homes use water, every customer can benefit from the tips listed below.

1. Showers use less water than baths (this is only true if you don’t take 20 minute-long showers. Retrofit your existing showerhead by replacing it with a low-flow one, this cuts the gallons/minute by more than half while still providing a powerful stream.

2. Place a ‘Toilet Tummy’ inside of your commodes’ recharge tank (behind the seat). The idea behind this innovation is to take up volume in the tank so that the toilet will use that much less water each time it flushes and refills. (Make sure that you only retrofit toilets that are not already made low-flow because then too little water would be available). ‘Toilet Tummys’ can be purchased or made at home by billing a two-liter bottle with water and placing it in the tank.

3. Place faucet aerators on all sinks; this simple solution limits the amount of water coming out of a faucet while at the same time aerating it so that reduced water flow still has a high pressure.

4. Wash only full loads of laundry!

5. Limit outside watering of lawns and gardens by planting native species that need an appropriate amount of water for a given area. Restrict watering to the evening when moisture can stay with the plant instead of being quickly evaporated by the day’s light and heat.

Further Resources
1. Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Customer Service website:
2. Pennsylvania American Water website:
3. The Environmental Protection Agency’s water conservation website: