Why Is My Water Bill So High? 5 Causes and Solutions

Why is my water bill so high? This is a common question among homeowners, whether you notice a sudden spike or you're seeing gradual increases. Sometimes, it's nothing more than the aging of your systems and appliances, while other times, it can indicate a significant problem requiring urgent action. 

1. Water Leak

Water leaks are a common plumbing problem. They often make themselves apparent by the presence of water where it shouldn't be. However, leaks can sometimes go undetected until they show up on your water bill in the form of a large invoice. Examples of hidden leaks include running toilets and under-house leaks.

The Solution

While drips and running toilets appear to be insignificant, the amount of water they can consume is immense when they happen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you're aware of an existing plumbing leak, fixing the problem as soon as possible will reduce your water bill immediately. 

If you're unsure if a leak is part of the high water bill problem, you can identify any issues with a plumbing inspection, which costs between $100 and $500 on average. Plumbing repairs cost between $180 and $494 on average.

2. Increased Consumption

Are you using more water without even realizing it? If the seasons have recently changed, you may be using more or less water than normal. Also, if your household size increases, you can expect your water bill to follow suit. 

Watering a 100-square-foot patch of lawn with one inch of water consumes over 62 gallons of water. If one new person is living in your home, they can consume more than 3,000 gallons of water per month. 

The Solution

Determine if you're using more water than normal lately and take steps, like performing typical plumbing maintenance and actively reducing water usage, to help control your home's water consumption. 

3. Water Appliance Trouble

Your home has several appliances and systems that use or rely on water. While a water heater problem may not directly consume more water than normal, things like waiting longer for the shower to heat up as a result of a faulty unit can waste huge amounts of water and energy. 

Additionally, if your home's water softener is experiencing trouble, it could regenerate too often or not well enough, wasting large amounts of water as it does so. Older dishwashing or laundry appliances can also begin using more water than they should as they age or experience problems or degradation.  

The Solution

Look up the age of your water-consuming appliances and consider inspecting, repairing, or replacing them as necessary to minimize water usage. Check the regeneration settings on your water softener and consider having an inspection of it and your home's water heater to rule them out as suspects. 

4. Increased Water Cost

Most water bill anomalies indicate a plumbing or water usage problem of some sort, especially in the plumbing of older homes. However, even if you've lived in the same house for years, the price that your water supplier charges isn't necessarily static, and prices do go up from time to time.  

The Solution

While a slight increase in the price of water on your bill usually doesn't have a massive impact on the total cost, a significant price change, especially for large households, is often quite noticeable. Check the going rate on your high water bill against the rate on the last normal invoice. 

5. Incorrect Billing

It doesn't happen very often, but it's remotely possible that the water meter your utility company relies on for billing is faulty and provides inaccurate readings, resulting in a higher water bill. 

The Solution

Water meters have a long history of reliability and typically only fail if they're disturbed (and even then, it's not common). However, in a world of never say never, you can contact your water service provider and request an inspection if you suspect the water meter is causing your high water bill.

When to Call a Pro

Anytime your water bill is larger than expected, it's crucial to determine why. Because a tiny water leak can cause expensive home damage over time, making sure a problem doesn't exist is vital. If there are no clear answers to why your bill is so high, calling in a local plumbing repair expert to check out the situation is necessary.