Anyone who pays a water bill (which includes many, many Canadians) knows how frustrating it can be to see that bill creep higher every month. Nobody likes paying those huge bills.
It’s not just people with lush green lawns and giant swimming pools that have huge water bills, either. We all use this precious resource to clean our homes, wash our dishes, hydrate our houseplants – and we definitely all use it for drinking.
But it can be a not-so-nice surprise to see the exact levels of water we each use on a daily basis. You probably weren’t even aware of how much water you and your family used until you started paying your own water bill. It can be quite a shock!
Luckily, we’ve scoured the internet, asked our friends, and studied the precise shade of green of our lawns for hours, all so we could pass our water-saving wisdom on to you.
Tip #1 – Save money on your water bill by paying with your credit card
It likely won’t surprise you to hear us recommend that you pay your water bill with a credit card, but we have good reasons for suggesting this.
Take a look at what these 3 top credit card options could do for you if you chose to use one of them to pay that pesky water bill. While they technically won’t save you money on your bill, they do come with some pretty sweet rewards, including impressive cash back rates.
Just make sure that you won’t be charged any extra fees for using your credit card. If you are, at least verify that you’ll end up with positive net rewards.
One of the top cash back credit cards in Canada
Yes, the SimplyCash Preferred Card From American Express is one of the very best cash back credit cards in the country, in large part due to its fantastic earn rates.
All this to say, you’ll earn 2% cash back on your water bill. And even though we want you to spend less on this bill, this does mean you’ll earn more if your bill is more.
At 2%, the American Express SimplyCash Preferred card has the best cash back rates on everything you buy, plus top-notch insurance and lots of Amex perks..
- Genius Rating:
- Rewards rate: around 2.55%
- Our credit estimate: Good (660-725)
- Welcome bonus: up to $199*
- Annual fee: $119.88
- Interest: 21.99% on purchases, 21.99% on cash*
- * See rates and fees
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
Choose your own cash back earning categories
The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is a unique cash back card that lets you choose your categories for earning. There are 10 to choose from, and recurring bill payments happen to be one of them. This way, you’ll earn 2% cash back when paying your water bill, and 0.5% back on everything else.
You’re able to choose 2 cash back earning categories with this credit card, but if you decide to have your cash back deposited into a free Tangerine Chequing Account, you’ll be rewarded with a 3rd choice.
Learn more here:
$125 GeniusCash + Up to $100 bonus cash back* + 1.95% on balance transfers for 6 months.*With the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, you'll earn an earn an extra 10% cash back (up to $100) on everyday purchases made within your first 2 months, 2% cash back on up to 3*** spending categories of your choice, and 0.5% cash back on everything else.
- Genius Rating:
- Rewards rate: around 1.14%
- Our credit estimate: Good (660-725)
- Welcome bonus: up to $106* (Ends 2025/01/31)
- Annual fee: $0
- Interest: 20.95% on purchases, 22.95% on cash*
- Balance transfer: 1.95% for 6 months (1% fee)
- * See rates and fees
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
GC: $125
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
Earn straight cash back with this these high rates
With the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite, you don’t have to worry about complicated rewards programs or points conversions – it’s just straight cash back.
Pay your water bill with this credit card and you’ll earn a minimum of 1% cash back. If you’re able to set it up as a recurring payment, that’s even better as you can earn 4% back this way. And that 4% back goes for groceries too.
$20 GeniusCash + 10% cash back on purchases for 3 months + 4% cash back on groceries.*Earn more cash back on all your purchases with the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card. You’ll start with 10% cash back on everything for the first 3 months – and pay no annual fee for the first year.
- Genius Rating:
- Rewards rate: around 2.08%
- Our credit estimate: Very Good (725-760)
- Welcome bonus: up to $159* (Ends 2025/10/31)
- Annual fee: $120, 1st year free
- Interest: 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash*
- * See rates and fees
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
GC: $20
- It'll take you to the bank's secure site.
- You'll get the chance to read the offer and product details.
- If you choose to apply, filling the form should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
See more best Canadian credit cards.
Another tip is to watch for hidden fees on your water bill
Just remember to balance any rewards you may earn against any fees associated with paying bills with a credit card.
For instance, the city of Halifax charges a 1.75% transaction fee each time you pay with credit. See the chart below to understand how this type of fee affects your eventual cash returns.
| Water bill amount | Credit card fee | Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite return | Net return |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 1.75% | 4% | $2.25 |
| $200 | 1.75% | 4% | $4.50 |
In this scenario, you’ll still see a net return using your credit card, so it can be worth it for you.
11 plumbing and appliance tips for saving on your water bill
But besides maximizing your return on your water bill, how can you make sure you’re not paying more than you have to?
Here are tips for keeping the water bill low inside the house.
Fill the tub only part way
According to Badeloft, an online retailer of luxury bathroom fixtures, a standard bathtub holds approximately 150 litres of water and larger tubs can hold up to 410 litres. That’s a lot of water.
So when you’re filling up the tub for your kids or pets, filling it only three-quarters, half, or one-quarter full can save a ton of water – and a ton of money.
And don’t worry, the kiddos can still splash and play just as much in a smaller amount of water.
Install low-flow shower heads and toilets
This one is a no-brainer, especially if you’re already renovating, building, or buying a new home.
Low-flow shower heads can reduce your home’s water usage by 40% or more. And don’t worry, low-flow does NOT necessarily mean low pressure. Earlier models were often a little lacking in the water pressure department, but current ones are much better.
All in all, a low-flow shower head can save up to 7,570 litres of water per year – and that’s based on just one person and one shower head. (Check out HGTV’s tips for checking the rate of flow on your current shower head.)
In a similar vein, an old toilet can use up to 19 litres of water in just one flush, according to Consumer Reports. Newer toilets are required to use 6 litres or less per flush, and those classified by the EPA as a WaterSense fixture use only 4.8 litres. And since water from toilets represents about 24% of household water consumption, switching to a low-flow option can stop you from literally flushing money down the toilet.
Use hacks to reduce flow in your toilet tank
If replacing your old toilet simply isn’t in the budget right now, there are a few tricks you can use to restrict the water flow yourself.
One idea is to take a large plastic bottle, add some small rocks to it and fill it with water, then place it into your toilet’s water tank (making sure it doesn’t touch any of the inner mechanisms). This will displace the water in the tank as it fills after a flush, which means your toilet won’t have to fill up as much.
You can also purchase “tank banks” or similar products that will do the same thing.
Install water-saving faucet aerators
Aerators are devices that are screwed on to the tip of your faucet. They’re designed to smooth out the water by adding tiny air bubbles before it comes pouring out into the sink. These air bubbles also take up space, which means the faucet uses less water per minute.
If you already have aerators on your faucets, check the side of it to read what its flow rate is. If it’s more than 1.5 gallons per minute (GPM), you can find a much more restrictive one (as low as 0.5 GPM) to save you money on water.
The EPA says that aerators with flow rates of 1.5 GPM or less can reduce your water use by up to 30%, and it doesn’t affect the performance of your faucet at all. Saving that much water will certainly be reflected on your monthly bill.
It can also help to clean your aerator, which can also improve water pressure if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while. To do so, unscrew the aerator, turn it upside down, and tap your finger on it to dislodge any accumulated grit or scale. You can also soak it in vinegar for an hour, rinse with fresh water, and return it to the faucet.
Turn off the faucet
We’ve all heard this one before, but it’s time we listened.
Turning the water off when you’re doing any of these things, and even if it’s only for a single minute, can save water and money:
- shaving,
- lathering shampoo in your hair,
- waiting for hair conditioner to set,
- brushing your teeth, and
- rubbing soap into your hands for washing.
Why? It’s all in the numbers…
For example, turning the water off when brushing your teeth and washing your hands can save up to 1,470 litres of water per month, according to NC State University.
The bottom line is that by saving water in these small, almost imperceptible ways, you’re saving on your bills too. Once you get into the habit, you won’t even notice you’re doing it.
Upgrade your washing machine
Since laundry represents about 20% of a family’s water use, it’s important to make sure your washing machine isn’t also a huge water wasting machine.
Most older washing machines use a set amount of water for each load (depending on the setting), no matter how big or small it is.
Switching to a new model of washing machine, one with load-sensing technology, can save you oodles of water and oodles of money in the long run. These new machines are able to sense how large the load of laundry is and will use an appropriate amount of water.
And front-loading washing machines can help out even more, according to the New York Times, since they just need a shallow pool of water at the bottom of the barrel, which the clothes are rotated through. Top-loaders, on the other hand, use a larger pool to make sure the entire load gets covered and cleaned.
Always pre-soak the really dirty clothes
No matter what type of washing machine you have, pre-soaking any especially dirty or stained laundry is always recommended. This will help your washer get the cleaning done the first time.
Otherwise, you’ll likely be washing these items multiple times to make sure they come clean.
Don’t wash small or extra large loads
Planning laundry day and using appropriately-sized loads is important for keeping your water bill low and for extending the life of your appliance.
The reasons are simple. If you wash small loads, you’ll need to do more of them – which uses more water (and causes more strain on your machine). But if your loads are too big, then it’s likely your clothes won’t be completely clean – which means you have to wash some (or all) of them again…
On top of sizing your loads properly, always be sure to use the proper setting on your washer so it corresponds with the size of the load.
Skip the rinse cycle
Though many washing machines come with a rinse cycle option, there’s a good chance that you don’t need to use it at all.
Really, the only reason this cycle exists is because the initial water becomes “dirty” after soaking your clothes, so the machine refills to get more clean water. The clean water helps to rinse the detergent from your clothing items.
This isn’t necessary for most loads though. In fact, the appliance manufacturer Maytag suggests this cycle is only necessary for things like swimwear. It can also be necessary for people with sensitive skin, to ensure the scents and chemicals in the detergent are properly rinsed from their clothing.
In general, though, skipping this cycle is a great option for saving water. And you should definitely skip the “pre-soak” and “extra rinse” unless it’s a special circumstance.
Make sure the dishwasher is full
It might surprise you to learn that using a dishwasher is actually more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than handwashing.
Better Homes and Gardens recently reported that even though it only takes about 15 seconds to hand wash a dish, 1.9 litres of water is used – which doesn’t include any extra water used while scrubbing or rinsing. An energy efficient dishwasher, though, uses less than 15 litres for an entire wash cycle.
That being said, the dishwasher will use that same 15 litres of water no matter how many dishes are inside – so make sure it’s full before turning it on.
You don’t want to overfill the dishwasher either, though. Overfill often leads to certain dishes not getting cleaned properly, which means they’ll have to be washed again. Then you’re wasting even more energy, water, and money.
Keep your plumbing in good shape
The sound of a leaky faucet isn’t the only annoying thing about it. A leak – whether it’s in your faucet, toilet, shower head, or hose – can cost you boat loads (get it? because of all the water?) of money in wasted water as time goes by.
This article claims that fixing faucet leaks can save you 530 litres of water each week, and fixing a leaky toilet can save 3,785 litres per month.
Not sure if your toilet is leaking? An easy trick to check is to add a bit of food colouring to the toilet tank. If the colour seeps into the toilet bowl, you know you’ve got a leak.
Check your lawn’s irrigation system regularly for leaks too. Even if just one sprinkler head is broken, this can cost you 15,773 litres of water in just one month. That would be a shocking change to your water bill.
6 gardening and lawn tips for saving on your water bill
Speaking of your irrigation system, the outside of your home can use a lot of water too.
Here are some tips for saving money on gardening and lawn water use.
Use a rain barrel
An easy and inexpensive way to water your garden, clean the driveway, or even wash the car is to use water that you get for free anyway: rain water.
Using rain barrels to collect water can result in huge savings – up to 3,785 litres over the peak summer months. This can bring your water bill down by as much as $35 per month.
To top it off, this water is actually better for your plants as it doesn’t contain any chlorine or fluoride.
Take advantage of grey water
There’s also the concept of grey water, which is water that has been “gently used.”
This includes water from sinks, showers, tubs, washing machines, dehumidifiers, and other sources (but hasn’t come from toilets or come in contact with feces). In other words, it’s water that’s already been used for a purpose but can still serve another.
Think about it: when you rinse vegetables, the water you use simply tickles back down into the drain. Why not put it to good use?
Grey water can also be gathered from washing machines, showers, and sinks and is great when used outside to water plants, etc. Paying more attention to your grey water habits can definitely help with your water bill.
Plant a “water-wise” garden
Lawns and gardens get extremely thirsty and can therefore require a lot of watering for proper maintenance. Reducing the size of your lawn (or eliminating it altogether) and switching to drought-resistant plants can be a huge water saver.
In Canada, some of the best drought-resistant plants for our climate include:
- geraniums,
- echinacea,
- hostas,
- ornamental grasses (foxtail barley, fountain grass, prairie dropseed, etc.),
- yarrow,
- lamb’s ear,
- false indigo,
- and many others.
Water at the right time of day
Speaking of gardening, let’s talk about when it needs to be watered.
Newly planted trees need to be watered quite frequently – about every 3 or 4 days for trees. As for most other plants, they usually need to be watered every other day, or even every morning and night in some cases.
Despite what you might think, watering plants during the hottest part of the day is not ideal. The sun is actually attracted to the water and will cause it to evaporate before your beloved flowers, shrubs, grasses, etc., even get a taste.
Instead, water your plants in the early morning and evening. This will save you from having to re-hydrate them over and over again after the sun soaks up all the water.
And saving this water will, naturally, save you money.
Cover your pool when not in use
It’s a commonly known fact that water will evaporate in the sun, so why would you leave the cover off your swimming pool when it’s not in use?
Whether you’ve filled the pool with your backyard hose or had the water trucked in from elsewhere, you’ve paid money for it. Letting the hot sun soak up your water is like letting it soak up your savings.
Remove the pool cover immediately before you use the pool and replace it immediately afterwards and you’ll experience minimal evaporation.
According to this government site, properly covering your pool can save you money in several ways. It can:
- reduce the amount of water used to refill by 30% to 50%,
- reduce the necessary chemicals added to the water by 35% to 60%, and
- reduce cleaning time too.
At least 2 out of those 3 facts will help keep money in your pocket, and the third gives you more time to enjoy the pool.
Don’t cut your lawn so short
We all enjoy a neatly clipped lawn, but the reality is that letting it grow a teensy bit longer will help both your water consumption and the quality of your grass.
Scotts, who produce many types of lawn and yard maintenance soils and products, tells us that when grass is mowed at the proper length (not a buzz-cut!), the roots grow in length and strength. This, in turn, allows it to withstand more wear and tear.
Taller grass will also help the ground and roots stay cooler – which translates to you using less water to keep it healthy. And the less water used, the lower your monthly bill becomes.
All of this to say, go ahead and adjust the blade on your mower to a height of two inches. Your lawn and water bill will love you for it!
What does your water bill look like?
There are so many things you can do and habits you can change that will help conserve water and lower your regular water bill.
Most of us simply don’t realize how much water we use at home, but awareness, education, and habit changes can make a big difference – not only to our monthly water bill, but to the environment.
Do you have any tips or tricks for saving water? Have you had to talk to your family about their water consumption? How do you pay your monthly water bill?
Drop us a note below and let us know!
FAQ
How can I save money on my water bill?
There are many things that you can do to help save money on your water bill. Some of the most common approaches include taking shorter showers, using a rain barrel to collect water for use on your lawn and garden, and installing low-flow toilets and shower heads in your bathroom.
What causes high water bills?
High water bills are caused by using large amounts of water at home. This can be a result of leaky faucets, toilets, showers, etc., or it can simply be that your family isn’t aware of how to conserve water. Taking long baths or showers, over-watering your lawn and plants, and having inefficient appliances can all cause increases in your water bills.
What uses the most water in the house?
Most sources say that the biggest water guzzler in your home is the toilet – it accounts for roughly 25% to 30% of indoor water consumption. This isn’t much of a surprise since just one flush of an older toilet can use up to 19 litres of water. Replacing old toilets or using hacks to reduce its flow can make a major difference in your water bill.
Can I pay my water bill with my credit card?
You can certainly pay your water bill with a credit card, and this can also save you money. By paying with a card that earns you points or gives you cash back, you’ll be able to earn rewards while paying your bill.
What’s the cheapest way to pay my water bill?
Paying your water bill with a credit card that earns you cash back, Air Miles, or other rewards is the best method for saving money on the monthly payments. To lower the water bill itself, try adjusting your family’s water consumption habits.
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