We spend a significant part of our earnings on utility bills. However, many of us don’t understand how the bills are calculated – which makes it all the harder to reduce our costs!

The structure of a utility bill may seem complicated but it’s relatively easy to work out how the service providers set it up. In this article, we will focus on the residential water bills in Adelaide. Once you understand how the bill is set up, we’ll look at ways you can change your usage pattern and reduce your spending on water.

Water Bill Structure in Adelaide

In Adelaide, water bills are divided into two parts. The first is for a fixed amount of money each quarter that everyone pays for having the water connection. Even if you do not use a drop of water, you will still need to pay this bill. The other part of the bill depends on your usage and consists of three tiers. The unit price and the usage limit per day are different for each tier.

Cost of water in Adelaide

The price of water is the same across the state of South Australia. So, no matter where you live in the state, you pay the same rate as everyone else. As per the pricing structure of 2021-22, the basic or fixed rate for water connection is $274.40 per annum. This amount will show as $68.60 on your quarterly bill.

The other part of the bill is the consumption charge that’s calculated based on your usage. There are three pricing tiers. When your daily water usage crosses the set threshold, you pay a higher rate per unit. If your daily consumption is 383.6 L or less, you pay $1.966/kL. For water used between 383.6 L and 1424.7 L, you will need to pay the tier 2 price of $2.806/kL. If your household uses more than 1424.7 L a day, you will have to pay the tier 3 price of $3.040/kL on those extra litres.

So, in this model, using more water not only increases your total bill, but you also end up paying more per unit.

How to Save Money on Your Water Bill

Reducing your spending on the water bill is easier than you think. You just need to make some simple changes; you will already see the results in your next water bill.

Use appliances for full loads

Use the appliances like dishwashers and washing machines only when fully loaded. Avoid using the dishwasher several times a day.

Use modern water-efficient appliances

Replace your old water-hungry appliances with new water-efficient models. Modern appliances come with a blue, six-star water rating label. The more stars on the label, the less the wastage.

Replace leaky faucets and pipes

A single leaky pipe or faucet can lead to the wastage of more than 7000 litres of water per year. If you do not replace or fix them quickly, it will push your water bill to the next tier.

Recycle water

Gardens and lawns require a huge amount of water for irrigation. You can easily save on this by recycling greywater from laundry, bathtubs and sinks.

Upgrade showerhead

Traditional showerheads use around 18 litres of water per minute. So, if you run the shower for 10 minutes, you will use 180 litres of water. Replacing it with a modern water-saving showerhead can cut the water usage by half.

Conclusion

The cost of water in Adelaide is higher than many other places simply because Adelaide is located in the driest state within the driest continent on earth. Saving precious water resources is critical when you live here.