Did you know the human body can only survive about 3 days without water? We often take our access to clean drinking water for granted — grumbling about it only we get an uncomfortably high water bill.
What goes into deciding the price for this precious resource? How much do people in your area typically pay for water and how can you reduce your bill? Read on to find out!
Deciding the Price of Water
Residents in the Sutherland Shire receive their water bills 4 times a year. The price they pay is based on a few factors.
First, there is a single fixed charge that nearly everyone pays. There are a few exceptions, such as pensioners who pay a lesser amount and owners of vacant lots who don’t pay water usage charges. You can’t do anything to affect this portion of your bill.
The second component is the usage-based water consumption charge. This is a charge per kiloLitre (kL) of water. The more water you use, the more you’ll pay.
The price per kL can also go up significantly when the dam levels drop below 60%. This is done for drought-control purposes. So keep an eye on your water usage when it hasn’t been raining for a few days, your bill could come in unexpectedly high.
Your water bill also includes a fixed charge for wastewater/sewerage service.
Average Water Costs in the Sutherland Shire
These charges together average out around $300 per quarter or $1200 a year for households in the Sutherland Shire.
How to Reduce Your Water Bill
Reduce water bills in the Sutherland Shire with a few of these helpful tricks.
Install low-flow showerheads which can cut the flow rate of water nearly in half. Instead of burning through 10 litres or more of water per minute, it will come out at a more sedate 5-6 litres per minute.
Use a dishwasher to wash dishes, modern energy- and water-efficient models use less water to wash dishes than you can by hand. Of course, the machine needs to be full every time you run it to take advantage since it will use the same amount of water to wash 5 dishes as 50.
Turn off the water when you’re not using it. This might seem like common sense, but many people let the water run while they’re shaving or brushing their teeth. That water is mostly being wasted. Try dipping your razor in a small cup of water to rinse it rather than running it under the water each time.
Avoid Water Bill Surprises
We hope this information will help you to avoid water bill surprises this year. Remember to keep an eye on the dam levels if there hasn’t been much rain recently. It might be best to forego washing your car that week and wait until it rains instead.
Better yet, wash the car while it’s raining so you can use less or no hose water for the task!
