Households use about 43% of their total water inside the home. Making simple changes to our habits can save lots of water. If we all reduced how much we used by even a small amount, we could make a huge difference to our total consumption. There are some practical ways to save water in your home, without affecting your lifestyle.
- Showers account for 36% of all water used inside the home. Take shorter showers to reduce your water use. Go to the Save 6 Calculator to see how much water you could be saving.
- You can save 2000 buckets of water a year by installing a water efficient ‘3 star’ 9 litres a minute shower head.
- We nearly all waste water while we wait for the hot tap to warm up. Keep a bucket handy and use the water you would usually waste on indoor plants or the garden.
- Have a shower instead of a bath as baths use a lot of water. A standard bath uses an average 160 litres of water, whereas a 7-minute water efficient shower uses approximately 60 litres – that’s a saving of 10 buckets of water!
- Don’t leave the tap running while you brush. Simply wet your toothbrush before you begin and use a glass of water to rinse your mouth. This can save you about 700 buckets of water a year.
- The toilet uses 24% of water inside the home. Installing a dual flush toilet system can help your household use up to 75% less water. A dual flush toilet system could save 4,200 buckets of water a year!
- Be sure that you toilet doesn’t have a leak as you can lose up to a litre of water an hour. To check your cistern, place a few drops of food colouring in the tank. Without flushing it, look for colouring in the toilet bowl. If it’s getting through, you’ve got a leak, and it’s time to call a Waterwise Plumber.
- The toilet uses a lot of water in the home, between 3 and 11 litres for every half or full flush. Why waste this amount of water to flush away cigarette butts and other rubbish? Put it in the bin instead, you’ll also be reducing problems with the wastewater system.
- A leaking tap can waste 2.5 buckets of water a minute. If you have a leak that you know about, go to the Save 6 Calculator to calculate how much water you could be saving.
- Find out how you can check for hidden leaks – it's easy!
- Waterwise Plumbers with leak detection services can easily locate leaks and help find or fix them. Find a Waterwise Plumber.
- Save water with single lever mixer taps. The lever action mixes hot and cold water and allows you to find the right water temperature quickly, so you won’t waste water.
- A flow regulator can also help reduce water use by up to 50% by allowing water to flow at predetermined rates, while also providing softer water with less splashing. Click here to find out how to install a flow regulator.
- High water pressure increases flow rates from showers and taps. To help you save water a Waterwise Plumber can fit a pressure reduction valve at your property boundary.
- For cold water, why not keep a jug of water in the fridge. This will mean you always have cold water on hand and will not waste water while waiting for cold water out of the tap.
- Washing machines use around 27% of water in the home. To save water don’t operate your washing machine with small loads.
- When buying a new washing machine look for a ‘4.5 Star’ rated model. It uses 41% less water than a conventional washing machine and could save you about 3,500 buckets of water a year.
- To save water operate your dishwater only when it’s full – this could save you 900 buckets of water a year.
- When buying a new dishwasher, look for a ‘4 Star’ rated model, which uses as little as 15 litres per wash. Older models can use up to 40 litres per wash.
- Consider building water efficient principles into the home design right from the beginning. As well as saving water, a waterwise home design will also help reduce household energy bills.
- For great water saving ideas, which in the long run will save you money, visit a Waterwise Display Village.
- A greywater system can help you save water irrigating your garden with water from the bath, shower or washing machine, instead of precious drinking water.
- For more information about greywater re-use systems contact your Local Government or the Water Unit at the Health Department of WA.
- A Waterwise Specialist can assess the areas where you use water in your home and provide practical advice on reducing your water use. Check out the Water Corporation’s list of Waterwise Specialists. to find a specialist near you or phone the Waterwise Helpline on 13 10 39.
For more ways to save water inside and outside your home, visit the Water Corporation website .