How Much Money Can You Save Using a Water Filter at Home?

Water filters effectively remove chemical and physical pollutants from water, making water safe for consumption. They may seem like a big purchase at first, but they’re cheaper than buying bottled water in the long run.

If you want to know how water filters save you money, keep reading this. We’ll answer all your questions by analyzing the cost of using home water filters and comparing it to buying bottled drinking water. That can help you decide if water filters are economically worth it or if buying bottled water will save you more money.

How Much Does a Water Filter Cost?

Using a water filter at home involves:

1. Buying your choice of water filter.
2. Paying to get them installed in most cases.
3. Periodically replacing the filter units.

The cost of purchase, installation and filter replacement varies depending on the water filter you use.

Here’s a breakdown of different types of water filters and how much you can expect to spend on them:

Reverse Osmosis Systems

RO systems work by pushing water under high pressure through a membrane that filters out contaminants. They are effective for removing chemical contaminants from water. Reverse osmosis systems cost between £241 to £8060 depending on whether they are countertop, under-sink, or whole-house systems. Here’s a further breakdown of these prices:

• Countertop RO systems: Countertop RO systems are fixed on cabinets (or counters). They automatically filter your water when you plug it into your faucet. Countertop systems cost between £241 to £403, depending on the brand you’re buying and where you live.
• Under sink RO systems: Under-sink systems are installed under kitchen sinks to filter drinking and cooking water. You’ll get an under sink RO filter with a storage tank for about £161 to £483. Tankless under sink filters cost between £241 to £483.
• Faucet-mounted RO systems: This is a simple RO system installed at the faucet (or tap) to filter drinking water as it flows out. Faucet-mounted filters cost about £12 to £81, depending on the brand you’re buying from and the type of faucet filter you’re getting. Some faucet filters have nice features like a high flow rate and high filtration capacity. You’ll find the best faucet-mounted filter with superb features at BOS.

Countertop, under-sink, and faucet-mounted filters are all installed as point-of-use systems. They are relatively easy to install, and you can do it yourself. However, if you’re getting professional help for installation, you’ll spend about £81 to £644.

• Whole house RO systems: Whole house systems remove contaminants from water at the entry point. That means that they filter the water that goes into your entire house. As you can expect, they are usually more expensive. You’ll buy whole house RO systems for about £1200. Some high-grade RO systems could cost as much as £8060, but you’ll hardly need that type in a residential home. With £1200, you can purchase a suitable whole house RO system for your home.

Installing whole-house systems is a complex process. Since they are point-of-entry systems, you’ll need professional help, which will cost you between £403 to £1612.

Activated Carbon Filters

These are water filters made up of activated carbon pores that attract and collect contaminants as your water passes through. They are excellent for removing dangerous organic compounds from water and improving the taste and smell of water.

Activated carbon filter systems cost about £81 to buy and install. In addition, the filter unit needs to be replaced at least once a year, but these filter replacement units cost only about £9.

Water Distillers

This type works by vaporizing water to separate and remove contaminants. They may also contain carbon post filters that remove toxic contaminants after the initial vaporization. Water distillers effectively remove over 99% of water contaminants and are your best option if your home water supply has a wide range of pollutants.

Buying and installing water distillers will cost you £512 to £4034. They last for as long as ten to fifteen years, but you’ll need to replace the carbon post filter annually. Carbon filters are relatively cheap, costing about £9.

Water Softeners

Water softeners help to remove hardness-causing contaminants like calcium and magnesium from water. They are used to soften hard water at home. Buying water softeners will cost you about £565 to £1612, depending on the brand or type of softener you are buying.

You’ll need professional help to install a water softener, which would cost you about £241 to £806. To keep the system in good condition, you’ll need to service and maintain it, which may cost you about £16 per month. Replacing an old water softener with a new one costs about £241 to £403.

These prices of water filters may seem high at first glance. But on average, water filters cost about £3000 (most are lesser, as seen above), including installation and filter replacement costs. Water filters also last for about 15 to 20 years, which means you spend £200 yearly.

Let’s compare this to how much you would spend on buying bottled water, the other option to drinking safe water at home.

How Much Does Bottled Water Cost?

Average bottled water in the UK costs £0.47. Most people take at least two bottles each day. So each year, you’ll spend about £343 on buying bottled water. £343 is over a hundred pounds more than the yearly cost of a whole house water filter.

By using home water filters, you’ll save £143 each year, and over the lifespan of your water filter, you would have saved about £2860.

Money is not the only thing you’ll be saving. Here are other things you’ll avoid when you use water filters at home:

• Polluting the environment: Most plastic water bottles do not get recycled. Instead, they litter the environment or pile up in waste landfills. When you use home water filters, you reduce the number of waste bottles polluting the environment.
• Possibility of consuming contaminants: True, bottled water is regulated by local authorities to ensure that they are not contaminated, but tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics have been found in many bottled water. Microplastics are toxic contaminants that could cause serious health issues.

Summary

Using a water filter at home will save you over £2500, reduce your chances of consuming contaminants and help you avoid polluting your environment. So if you need smart ways to save more money and live safer at home, home water filters are the way to go!