Energy savings follow Battelle’s hardness testing. Detergent estimates use six laundry loads a week and about 18 dishwasher cycles a month.
YOUR WATER. YOUR HOUSEHOLD. YOUR BUDGET.
Small everyday costs.
A bigger picture.
Explore how water quality could affect your household budget. Adjust the estimates below to reflect your home and see how the numbers add up.
Research & assumptionsSee how the estimate is built
The model counts 75% of entered scale-care, bottled-water and filter spending. You can adjust the drinking-water share.
A Purdue University report, summarized by University of Idaho Extension, found fabrics washed in hard water wore up to 15% faster. UC Davis/USDA-supported testing separately found significantly greater abrasion in hard water. This calculator uses a cautious, adjustable 10% scenario—not a Las Vegas average.
DOE replacement costs are divided by expected life, then compared with an adjustable 25% hard-water scenario from the low end of PNNL’s cited range.
Sources: LVVWD 2026 Water Quality Summary; BLS; Purdue study summary; UC Davis fabric study; Battelle/WQRF; PNNL; DOE estimates for washers, dishwashers and water heaters. Fabric results vary with fabric, detergent and wash conditions. DOE costs are in 2022 dollars.