Water is an essential part of daily life. Aside from the need to drink water for hydration, we use water to wash our clothes, keep our homes clean, and cook our food.
Even though water is so wonderful, sometimes we still wince a little when we get the water bill. How much are you paying for water? Are you on track with the average cost of water in Adelaide? Let’s find out!
How Much Are You Charged for Water?
At first glance, figuring out how they come up with the charge for your water bill might be confusing. For example, you might expect a 4-person household to pay twice as much for water as a 2-person household (assuming equal water use). But that’s not how it works.
Instead, the water bill is divided into two components. One component is a fixed charge that everyone is responsible for paying. This covers the infrastructure cost of bringing water directly to everyone’s homes.
The second part is your actual water use. You pay a set price per kiloLitre for water. However, here’s where it gets complicated. If you use more than a certain amount of water, the price per kL goes up. This is done in an effort to get people to use less water. There are a total of three price tiers in Adelaide.
Average Cost of Water
So, how does your bill look in comparison to your neighbours’?
The average household size in Adelaide is small, calculated at 2.5 people during the 2016 census. However, let’s look at what a 2-person household pays for water on average since a 2.5-person household is impractical.
In Adelaide, 2 people pay $135 for water in a 91-day billing cycle. As we mentioned earlier, a 4-person household doesn’t pay double as you’d expect. Instead, the average cost is $230 for the same period.
Tips to Bring Down Your Water Bill
What does this information tell you about your water bill? Are you on track with the average water bill in Adelaide or are you paying considerably more?
There are many things you can do to bring down the price.
Use Your Dishwasher
We expect that no one will complain about this one. A modern, efficient dishwasher uses less water to wash dishes than even a super water-conscious person washing dishes by hand.
In other words, load it up and let the dishwasher take care of those dirty dishes!
Buy a New Washer
How old is your laundry machine? Modern washers are designed to use less water. Considering how many times you use your washer each week, even a small reduction per load adds up to a significant amount over time.
Reuse Your Wash Water
While you’re at it, set up a system to collect the washing machine water. You can use this water to hydrate your garden. After all, the plants won’t mind a little dirt in their water.
Paying Less for Water
There’s no reason to pay more for water than you have to. Now that you understand a little more about how your bill works, try some of our tips for bringing down the cost!