Water saving tips
Where do you use your water?
In a typical household, nearly half of the water used is consumed on the lawn and garden!
(Source: Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy)
There are many simple things you can do in your home and garden to save water:
Water saving tips in the home
| Activity | Litres (L) used | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Shower | ||
Standard showerhead A three-star rated water efficient showerhead | Almost 15 to 25 litres per minute 6 to 7 litres per minute | Limit showers to four minutes or less to save water and energy. A quarter of electricity used in a home is used to heat water. |
| Bath | ||
Half full Full | 80 litres average 140 litres average | Never overfill your bath. Only use the necessary amount. Check your plug for leaks. |
| Toilet | ||
Single flush toilet Dual flush toilet (Half flush) Dual flush toilet (Full flush) | Up to 12 litres of water in one flush 3 litres 6 litres | Use the half-flush button when appropriate. Only flush the three Ps. Flushing rubbing wastes water and can block your pipes. |
| Brushing teeth | ||
With tap running With tap turned off | 5 litres per minute 1 litre per minute | Always turn the tap off when brushing your teeth to save water. Use a glass of water for rinsing. |
| Washing dishes | ||
Washing by hand (one meal) Old dishwasher 3-star rated machine | Up to 18 litres 40.5 litres 18 litres | Avoid rinsing before washing. Scrape food remains into a compost or garbage bin. Ensure your dishwasher is full. |
| Washing clothes | ||
Top loader Front loader | 130 litres per cycle 50 litres per cycle | Wash only full loads and use the economy cycle if you have one. |
| Leaks from taps and pipes | ||
Dripping tap Leaking pipe (1.5mm hole) | 27 – 198 litres a day 99 litres a day | Regularly check your taps, hoses and pipes for leaks. A leak that goes undetected will not only waste our H2O, but your money as well. |
| Leaks from toilet cisterns | ||
Slow, barely visible leak Visible leak in toilet pan water Visible, just audible Quite visible, constant refilling hiss | 9 litres a day 36 litres a day 144 litres a day 261 litres a day | Regularly check your toilet for leaks to save water and money. |
* All figures are provided as an estimate
Water saving tips in the garden
| Activity | Litres (L) used | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Garden | ||
Sprinkler Watering the garden with a hose Hosing the driveway | 1000 litres per hour 600-900 litres per hour 75 litres per 5 minutes | Don’t water in the heat of the day between 10am and 4pm. The water will evaporate. |
| Swimming pool | ||
Filling up a swimming pool | Up to 54,000 litres | Use a swimming pool cover to reduce evaporative losses. You could save between 11,000 – 30,000 litres of water a year. |
| Washing the car | ||
Hose washing Bucket washing |
180 litres a wash 99 litres a wash | Wash your car on the grass using a trigger or twist nozzle and a bucket. Your lawn will be greener and you’ll use less water. |
| Leaks from taps and pipes | ||
Dripping tap Leaking pipe (1.5mm hole) | 27 – 198 litres a day 99 litres a day | Regularly check your taps, hoses and pipes for leaks. A leak that goes undetected will not only waste our H2O, but your money as well. |
* All figures are provided as an estimate
More information
You can keep track of your water usage and be alerted to water leaks and high consumption by signing up to council’s free myh2o website.
For tips on how to cut your water use and create a water efficient garden, visit council’s online Plantastic Water Saving Guide.
Videos
Here are some videos on how to save water outdoors and in the bathroom, how to fix a leaking tap and how to read your water meter.