Saving Water

Saving Water in your Home

Australia is the driest continent on Earth (excluding Antarctica), however we are the greatest consumers of water per capita.

Water restrictions have now become a fact of life for many of us and as Sydney’s population continues to grow, more people will be trying to share the same small supply. We can reduce our water usage by taking steps to make our homes more water efficient.

The Water Conservation Rating Scheme

The Water Conservation Rating Scheme is used to identify appliances that are water efficient. The more ‘A’s an appliance has, the greater the water efficiency. Look for the Water Conservation Rating label on water efficient products and appliances.

Flow Regulators – Flow Regulators are effective, low cost devices to control the amount of water coming out of the tap. There is a variety of regulators available, including simple devices which are installed inside taps to reduce flow and aerators which introduce air into the water to restrict flow while maintaining water pressure. Some tapware is manufactured with inbuilt flow regulators. Otherwise, installing a flow regulator is a simple task for the do-it-yourself home occupier. Look for the Water Conservation Rating label when selecting your tapware. AAA rated taps use 50% less water than standard tap fittings.
Leaking Taps – A leaking tap can waste more than 2,000 litres of water every month and can add an additional $50 to your water bill. Check your taps, pipes and appliance hoses regularly to make sure there are no leaks. Replace tap washers as soon as they start to leak.
Cooking – Instead of boiling vegetables, try microwaving , steaming of pressure-cooking them. Plan ahead and let frozen foods thaw naturally rather than running them under the tap.
Appliances – Look for the Water Conservation Rating on new dishwashers and washing machines. AAA, AAAA and AAAAA rated dishwashers and washing machines can cut appliance water use by more than half. Waiting until you have a full load will save on the amount of detergent entering the storm water system and will cut both water and energy costs.
Baths – Your AAA rated shower head produces approximately 7 litres per minute, so a five minute shower will use approximately 35 litres of water (less than a quarter of the 150 litres needed to fill a bath).
Brushing Teeth & Shaving – on average, each person uses nearly 11,000 litres of water per year brushing their teeth. By turning the tap off and rinsing with a glass of water, we could save over 9,000 litres per person.
Swimming Pools – make sure your pool is covered to keep it clean and to limit heat loss and evaporation.