That neighbor who waters his lawn at 3 PM in July made me rethink my whole schedule

I saw a guy on my block watering his grass right at peak sun yesterday and almost yelled at him. But then he told me his water bill dropped $12 a month because the city charges less during off-peak hours, and now I'm the one wasting money watering at 6 AM. Anyone else change a habit after seeing someone do it the 'wrong' way?

3 comments

3 Comments

roberts.leo23d ago

Oh man, you got tricked by one of the oldest lawn myths out there. Most cities charge by total usage, not by time of day for residential water unless you have a special irrigation meter. That guy probably just fixed a leak or changed his sprinkler heads and the time shift was a coincidence. You're actually smarter watering at 6 AM because way less water evaporates before the sun gets high. Peak sun watering is like throwing money into the air for no reason.

nelson.vera23d ago

Bet they're on a private well and just making stuff up to feel smart.

gibson.morgan23d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, @roberts.leo is that always true across the board though? My city has a whole time-of-use rate thing for residential water, not just special meters. I looked into it after my neighbor showed me his bill. The savings was small but it was real for him. And the 6 AM thing makes total sense for evaporation, but the city rate was still higher at that hour for us. So maybe it depends on where you live. Not every lawn myth is a myth if your utility is set up different.