Inside |
updated: 20/09/07 |
- In the Bathroom
- In the Kitchen
- In the Laundry
- With a Rainwater Tank
- How to check if you have a hidden leak
In the Bathroom
- Install a water efficient shower head – traditional ‘old style’ shower heads use about 20 litres of water per minute, twice as much as water efficient appliances.
- Install a dual flush toilet or cistern weight in your old single flush toilet – they can halve the water use from 12-20 litres a flush to six (6) litres a flush.
- Install aerators or flow regulators on your taps – often it is the pressure rather than the water volume that you need.
- Fix leaking showerheads and taps – a dripping tap can waste more than 35,000 litres of water a year.
- Fix leaking toilets – leaking toilets can waste around 20-40 litres of water an hour.
- Insulate hot water pipes – this avoids wasting water and power while waiting for hot water to flow through.
- Make sure your hot water thermostat is not set too high – adding cold water to cool the temperature of water is wasteful.
- Take shorter showers – long hot showers use around 10 to 20 litres a minute, so cutting a 10 minute shower down to four (4) minutes will save around 60 - 120 litres of water.
- Don’t leave water running when brushing teeth, washing hands or shaving.
- Use a bucket to catch grey water in your shower or bathtub to be reused in your garden.
In the Kitchen
- Install aerators or flow regulators on your taps, often it is the pressure rather than the water volume that you need.
- Only run the dishwasher when you have a full load, as they can use up to 60 litres of water for each load.
- Don’t leave water running when rinsing dishes, washing vegetables or washing hands.
In the Laundry
- Install a water efficient washing machine – front loaders are often more efficient than top loaders. By buying a 5 ‘A’ or 4 star rated washing machine, you can receive money back from your local Council. Click here for more details .
- Install aerators or flow regulators on your taps.
- Make sure the washing machine settings are right for the load before you begin – if theres no load adjustment setting, wait until you have a full load.
With a Rainwater Tank
- A rainwater tank connected for indoor use can help you save water from the town supply.
- The tank can be used for toilet flushing and washing clothes.
- By buying a rainwater tank over 2,000 litres, you can receive money back from your local Council. Click here for more details.
- Talk to your local expert about installing a tank.
- If your tank is connected internally then you must comply with Level 2a water restrictions.You are entitled to an increased rebate if you connect your tank internally. Click here for more details.
How to check if you have a hidden leak:
Do you have high water bills you cannot explain, or a patch of grass that is always wet or very green despite the weather or infrequent watering?
Leaking water in your home may not always be in an obvious place. For example, you may have a leak in your pipes.
A leaking pipe can waste around 95,000 litres of water a month, that’s enough to do 500 loads of laundry.
To see if you have a leak, follow these four simple steps:
- Locate your water meter, usually in the front yard or at the side of the house. They are above ground with a metal or plastic lid.
- Choose a day when no-one is at home for a couple of hours, i.e. when everyone is at work or on a family outing.
- Ask the last person leaving the house to check the water meter and record the current level of water use, making sure no appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers have been left running.
The meter reads from left to right – black digits show the kilolitres (1,000 litres) and the red digits show the number of single litres used.
- Then ask the first person to return home to do the same. If the numbers have changed, you will most likely have a leak. The severity of the leak can be determined by how much water has been used while you were gone.
If you notice a change, contact a local plumber for their advice. Reading your meter reader regularly will show you how much water you use and help detect leakages early.
Click here to download a copy of the info sheet above in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf). You will need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the document.
