Water Use Up 70 Percent

With daytime high temperatures at or near 100 degrees every day in July, water use has jumped dramatically. Daily water consumption for Georgetown water customers has increased from 18 million gallons in early June to more than 30 million. That’s an increase of nearly 70 percent.

Electricity use also is up. Energy consumption increased about 18 percent from early June to early July.

Given these big jumps in water and electric use, most customers are likely to see a significant increase in their utility bills in the coming weeks.

“This is a pattern we see each summer,” says Leticia Zavala, customer care director for Georgetown Utility Systems. “Customers can look at their monthly bill and see the consumption period and the amount of water or electricity used during that time. When high temperatures hit the upper 90s or 100-degree mark, then utility bills reflect that a few weeks later.”

During the hottest summer months, about 75 percent of the drinking water produced each day is used for lawn irrigation.

Taking a few steps can help to moderate the increase in your monthly bill. Here are a few ways you can conserve water and electricity:

• Set your irrigation system to water only two days each week.
• Drop two or three minutes on the zone run times on your irrigation controller.
• Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher.
• Install a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature when you are not there.

For more ways to conserve water and electricity, go to gus.georgetown.org/conservation-programs. To see your regular watering days, go to water.georgetown.org.