One morning, when I checked my water bill, I saw a much higher amount than I expected.
And yet, I didn’t feel like we were using more water than usual.
The question arose: where does the water go?
🚨 Unusually high bill – what should you do first?
When I saw that we had consumed 140,000 liters of water in one month, I immediately suspected something was wrong.
Compared to the average (about 4,470 liters/person/month), it was clear that something was wrong.
➡️ I contacted the water supplier
➡️ It turned out: reading error
The actual consumption after the repair: 47,000 liters
That’s still high, but more realistic.
💡 Lesson learned:
Always check your water meter – even an administrative error can cost you a lot!
🔍 Checking your water meter – a simple method
This is how I checked if it was working properly:
I wrote down the meter reading
I filled a 3-liter container
I checked the meter again
➡️ The result: everything worked fine
💡 Extra tip:
You can also do this test in the evening and check again in the morning.
If the value changes → there is probably a leak.
💡 Reducing consumption – simple tricks
After making sure that the consumption was real, I started looking for the cause.
👉 I realized that the water pressure in the apartment was too high.
This meant that more water was flowing than necessary with each use.
🔧 What did I do?
➡️ I slightly closed the water inlet valves
➡️ I reduced the water pressure
✅ Result:
same comfortable water usage
less waste
⚠️ Disadvantage: the bathtub fills more slowly
🚿 More useful tips
Install aerators on taps
Take short showers rather than baths
Check your toilet and taps regularly for leaks
📉 Results
After one month:
➡️ Consumption reduced from 47,000 liters → 37,000 liters
That’s a significant saving!
⚠️ Important note
Someone pointed out to me that partially closing the valves can:
➡️ cause faster wear
I haven’t experienced any problems so far, but it’s worth paying attention to.
❤️ Summary
Even a small change can:
save a lot of water 💧
save money 💰
and help protect the environment 🌱
