You may have stared at the Create New Budget option in the Flume app and thought, “Sounds complicated,” or “Looks like a lot of work”…

But we’re here to tell you that it’s simple and easy, and that it’s a great way to conserve water and save money. So let’s get started.

A Basic Budget

Begin by opening up the Flume app. At the bottom, you will see the Create New Budget option. This opens up the New Budget widget.

You will see that the easiest way to set a budget is to use the pre-set usage values we recommend based on the number of people in your household and your irrigation needs. From there, you can choose to follow a daily, weekly or monthly budget. And you can choose how you would like to be notified when a budget is exceeded.

That’s it! Now, you’ll be more engaged in your household water use. Your budget will inspire you and your family or housemates to conserve water by showing you where you stand within your selected timeframe.

A Step Further

You can also choose to dial in a more sophisticated personal budget by ignoring the pre-set usage values and creating your own values

To create your own values, review your water bills over the past year (from your own records or by requesting that information from your water utility).

Now, separate your records into two seasonal periods: Irrigation season (typically spring/summer) and non-irrigation season (typically fall/winter).

Next, choose a minimum of three months within each of the two periods and average them out. An example for the irrigation season:

June = 3,400 gallons
July = 3,800 gallons
August = 3,300 gallons

3400 + 3800 + 3300 over three months = 10,500/3 or 3,500 gallons per month on average

In this example, your baseline for the irrigation season is 3,500 gallons per month. Want to conserve more water this year? Then consider setting a 3,000-gallon or 3,250 monthly budget in the Flume app.

It is easy to set a water budget in the Flume app. It’s private. There is no punishment if you go over your budget. It’s simply about having realistic goals for saving money and conserving water around the house. So why not give it a try? You will love the upside.

Please reach out to our Flume Customer Support team anytime from 7a-7p PST with any questions—we are here to help.