Want To Save $1400 A Year? Drink Tap Water

Every year, over 20 billion bottles of water are bought and sold in the United States. If you buy bottled water, it may be because you believe you are doing the healthy thing in trusting bottled water instead of their tap. But the bottled habit could be making a significant dent in your wallet.

If you drink your recommended 8 glasses of water a day from the tap, it will cost you about 50 cents per year. Drinking bottled water instead could cost you up to $1400 a year (source).

And there are even more reasons to ditch the bottle and head for the sink. Here are a few of them:

Tap Water is More Regulated Than Bottled Water

Under the Safe Drinking Act, the Environmental Protection Agency strictly regulates all municipal drinking water. In places like Washington D.C., for example, tap water is tested 30,000 different times throughout the year.

In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration that oversees the bottled water industry has only 2.6 full-time employees for supervising the thousands of bottled water facilities throughout the country. In addition, the EPA estimates that about 25% of bottled water is simply bottled tap water.

Plastic Bottles Waste Our Resources

As the green movement continues to take hold, one area that is left unattended is bottled water. According to data from Container Recycling Institute, 17 million barrels of oil are used to produce the U.S.’s insatiable thirst for bottled water.

Also, it takes about three liters of water and 3.4 mega joules of energy to produce a single liter of bottled water.

The Majority of Plastic Water Bottles Are Not Recycled

Although touted as “green” because they are recyclable, only about 25% of water bottles are actually ever recycled (source). Plastic bottles in landfills can take up to 1000 years to properly degrade and the 4 billion water bottles that end up in cities’ waste streams each year cost them $70 million dollars to clean up and dispose.

Water Filtration Options Can Make Your Tap Even Better

If you are concerned about the quality of the water coming out of your home’s plumbing, a better alternative to purchasing bottled water is installing a filtration system. There are a variety of systems available that offer the convenience of tap while also filtering it to create healthier, better tasting water at a fraction of the cost of bottled water.

Most of the time saving $1400 a year is complicated. When it comes to water, all it takes is a trip to the sink instead of the store.

Coolray and Mr. Plumber provide the Atlanta, Georgia area with exceptional heating, cooling and plumbing services. Have another question about your plumbing system? Ask our expert.