5 Ways To Reduce Your Vet Practice Water Bill

Water is a precious resource and we need to do everything we can to reduce our water consumption. But how much water does your vet practice use? 

We all know that having an understanding of our business’s water usage is important, but it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where you are using the most. There are various steps you can take to reduce your water and energy consumption, find out more about vets’ energy use with Utility Bidder and see where you can start tightening the purse string. 

In this post, there are seven simple steps that every veterinary practice can take today to save money on their water bill.

• Look at Your Water Consumption

The first step to reducing your vet practice water bill is to look at your current consumption. You can do this by checking the metre reading and comparing it with the reading on your most recent water bill. If you are using more than you think, then you should take action now.

A water audit may evaluate how much water your business uses and offer suggestions for increasing efficiency by eliminating wasteful waste. It can potentially save your business a significant amount of money in the long term in addition to offering your vet practice sustainability credentials.

• Assess Where You Are Using the Most Water

Observe your water metre closely for at least a month and note when it is in use. If possible, go back through previous metres to track the changes over time—this can be useful if a new client arrives or if there is an increase in traffic due to any seasonal events.

Use infrared cameras and other tools to identify leaks from closet pipes, toilets, faucets, and more—especially those that are difficult to see. The infrared camera helps by displaying areas as warmer colours than cooler ones on its screen; this allows you to check for leaks easily without having to tear apart anything.

Get rid of drains that aren’t being used much (like sinks outside) or replace them with newer models that are more efficient at preventing water loss due to leakage.

• Install a Smart Water metre

You can track your water usage automatically with smart water metres. You have the chance to take matters into your own hands by switching to a smart water metre, helping to find leaks, cutting back on use, and combating climate change.

The water utility companies’ smart metres or AMRs make it possible to monitor water use in almost real-time. Water use may be tracked by utilities to have faster access to billing data.

Automated metre Reading (AMR) is the technology that most utility companies utilise for this, and its only objective is to simplify metre reading for the utility company. The utility provider is the only party to primarily profit from this, not the final consumer, either household or commercial.

• Make Some Simple Changes

Use a water butt to collect rainwater and use it to water your plants and fill up dog bowls. If you have a large garden area in your practice, consider installing an underground tank as well so you can store water for future use.

Turn off the tap when bathing animals or preparing their meals. Most people don’t really think about this, but it adds up.

If you suspect your toilet leaks, add a few drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. The bowl may leak if colouring develops without flushing, wasting more than 100 gallons of water per day.

Also, check for leaks in your pipes and faucets, as even a little trickle can waste 50 gallons of water every day.

• Go a Step Further and Make Bigger Changes

Installing a rainwater harvesting system will make sure that every drop of rain that falls on your practice’s property gets used for something useful rather than running down the drain. 

if you don’t have enough space for one of these systems but want to reuse some greywater from machines and bathtubs to water your existing landscape, consider investing in an alternative drainage system like an eco-box that can pump out excess water into another tank or storage area.

Final Thoughts

Water is a precious commodity that we need to protect. Taking the above steps will help you to understand how much water you are using, and identify how to use less water. 

Switching suppliers and saving money by comparing prices across the market. This can help your veterinary practice reduce your water consumption and save you a chunk of your monthly water bills.