We use a large amount of water inside the home for washing ourselves, our clothes, brushing our teeth, flushing toilets or cooking. Many people have swimming pools and we all love to wash our cars, both activities using huge quantities of water. This section aims to help you reduce your water use in your home by choosing a range of modern, high quality water efficient technologies and making some small changes in behaviour.

About 40% of all water consumed in the home is used in the bathroom and much of that is wasted. With these tips its easy to avoid wasting water. Before buying a new bathroom appliance, check the manufacturer’s water efficiency labels. Australia’s Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme allows consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products using a star rating scheme. By buying more water efficient products you can save money on water and electricity bills and help the environment.

Showers & Baths

Modern water efficient showerheads use no more than 9 litres of water per minute, while old style showerheads use up to 20 litres per minute. If you shower for six minutes, a water efficient showerhead can save up to 50 litres of water for each shower or up to 20,000 litres of water per person per year.

• Take shorter showers. Limit time spent in the shower to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. Shorter showers save on energy costs associated with heating water.
• Use a shower timer. Choose from a manual 4-minute egg timer or a more sophisticated electronic timer that either attaches to the shower wall or showerhead, or is wired into the wall during construction.
• Use a bucket to collect water while waiting for the shower to get hot.
• Shave your legs before taking a shower. Use running shower water to rinse off.
• Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
• Consider an instantaneous water heater if your existing water heater is located some distance to the bathroom. Talk to a plumber first to make sure it will work adequately with your showerhead.
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to reduce the temperature of very hot water is wasteful.

Many people believe that baths waste a lot of water. However, often a bath may use less water than showering. Follow these tips to ensure that you are using the bath water wisel

• Only fill the tub with as much water as needed. Use less for children and pets.
• Check the temperature as you fill. Adding extra water to get the correct temperature after the bath is at the right level is wasteful.
• Regularly check your plug for leaks and replace as necessary.
• Bucket used bath water onto the garden or use it to wash your car.
• Check that soaps and detergents in the water won’t harm garden plants.

Toilets

A quarter of all the water we use in the bathroom is flushed down the toilet! It is crazy that we use high quality, treated drinking water to flush toilets.

Buy a top rated dual flush toilet. Look for models with a four-star water efficiency rating. These can save the average home up to 35,000 litres per year. These toilets use just 4.5 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half flush.

Older toilets use around 18 litres per flush. If you can’t afford a new toilet, put a water filled plastic bottle or a brick in your cistern to reduce the volume used with each flush.

Leaking toilet cisterns waste litres of water each day. Check for leaks by putting a few drops of food dye in the cistern. If you have a leak, coloured water will appear in the bowl before the toilet has been flushed.

If you are building a new home or doing a bathroom renovation consider installing plumbing to flush your toilets using rainwater or greywater.

Don’t use your toilet as a bin. Feminine hygiene products, food waste, baby wipes and goldfish should go in the bin! Flushing these down the toilet not only wastes valuable water but places additional strain on the sewerage system.

Leaking Toilets

A continuously running toilet can waste up to 60,000 litres of water per year, yet toilet leaks often go unnoticed as the water trickles down the back of the bowl.

Follow these simple steps to check if your toilet has a leak:

1. Remove the lid of your toilet cistern.
2. Place a few drops of food dye into the cistern.
3. Do not flush your toilet for 10-15 minutes.
4. If the dye has seeped down into the bowl when you return, then you know you have a leak.

Toilet leaks are often a result of the rubber valve in the cistern deteriorating. You can contact a licensed plumber to fix this for you. As a temporary fix, you may be able to install a toilet weight in the cistern. 

It is important to check your toilet for leaks every few months so you can be sure it is not wasting any water.

Bathroom & Kitchen Taps

Here are some quick tips to help you save water when using your bathroom taps:

• A running tap uses about 16 litres of water per minute.
• A dripping tap can waste up to 20,000 litres a year! That's a lot of water, so if your tap is dripping you should be getting it fixed.
• Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. Wet your brush and use a glass for rinsing.
• Don’t rinse your razor under a running tap. Filling the basin with a little warm water is just as effective and less wasteful.

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t rinse them under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of hot water.
• Use washing-up liquid sparingly as this will reduce the amount of rinsing required when washing dishes by hand.
• Use a plugged sink or a pan of water. This saves running the tap continuously.
• When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and it will save you water, power, and preserve precious vitamins in the food.
• Flow-controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food. Ideally place food in refrigerator to defrost overnight.
• If you have a leaking tap, replace the washer or other components as required. Dripping taps can waste 30–200 litres of water per day.

Kitchen Taps

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t rinse them under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of hot water.
• Use washing-up liquid sparingly as this will reduce the amount of rinsing required when washing dishes by hand.
• Use a plugged sink or a pan of water. This saves running the tap continuously.
• When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and it will save you water, power, and preserve precious vitamins in the food.
• Flow-controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food. Ideally place food in refrigerator to defrost overnight.
• If you have a leaking tap, replace the washer or other components as required. Dripping taps can waste 30–200 litres of water per day.

Kitchen

The kitchen is a major consumer of water in the home, using around 10% of total household water consumption for cooking, cleaning, washing, or drinking.

Handy Tips

• To avoid wasting drinking water from a running tap, collect it in a bottle or jug and store it in the fridge until it is cool enough to drink.
• Garbage-disposal units use about 6 litres of water per day. Put suitable food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than down the kitchen sink.
• When you clean your fish tank, use the ‘old’ nitrogen and phosphorous-rich water on your plants.

Dishwasher Tips

• The dishwasher is the highest consumer of water in the kitchen. Installing a water efficient model will save you not only water but also money. Before purchasing a new dishwasher, check the appliance for a WELS (National Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme) label. The WELS scheme labels products for water efficiency - the more stars, the more water efficient the product.
• Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load.
• Use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher, if it has one, rather than rinsing dishes under the tap.

Top Tap Tips

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t rinse them under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of hot water.
• Use washing-up liquid sparingly as this will reduce the amount of rinsing required when washing dishes by hand.
• Use a plugged sink or a pan of water. This saves running the tap continuously.
• When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and it will save you water, power, and preserve precious vitamins in the food.
• Flow-controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food. Ideally place food in refrigerator to defrost overnight.
• If you have a leaking tap, replace the washer or other components as required. Dripping taps can waste 30–200 litres of water per day.

Waiting for the hot water to come through?

• Catch running water whilst waiting for it to warm up. Use it to water plants, rinse dishes, or wash fruit and vegetables.
• Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is wasteful.
• New hot water systems allow you to specify the temperature without adding cold water.
• Install a plumbing device that allows the cold water to be recirculated until it warms up

Laundry

15-20% of all water consumed in the home is used in the laundry. In addition to water, washing machines also use large amounts of energy and detergents.

Washing machine tips

If you are in the market for a new washing machine choose a water efficient model. Many major appliances and tapware products carry labels according to their water efficiency. Look out for the WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards) label - this is displayed on the product or a swing tag. It demonstrates that manufacturers and importers have ensured their product has been tested and complies with the Australian Standard in the respective category.

• Look for washing machines that have a four or more star rating (WELS label).
• Choose a water efficient front loading washing machine.
• Check the water efficiency performance of any product before buying.
• Adjust the water level to suit the size of the wash load - some new water efficient models will do this automatically.
• Wash with a full load and you will save 10 litres of water each wash.
• Use the sud-saver option - if your machine has one - when you have several loads to wash.

Checking those taps in the laundry

• Leaking taps can usually be fixed with a new washer, this is easy to do. Just remember to turn the water off at the mains before you start.
• If the tap still drips, call a plumber. The cost incurred will save you money on your water bills in the long run. Insulate hot water pipes, this avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is wasteful.
• Install water efficient tapware or retrofit old tapware with aerators or flow control valves.

The question of choosing a washing machine can be a confusing one and most of us do not think of it until our machine breaks down. If you're in the market for a new machine check out these tips below to help you make the right choice.

Front loader or top loader?

Before buying a new washing machine, consider whether you prefer a front or top loader. Front loading washing machines have an opening on the front of the machine, where clothes can be loaded and unloaded. All dials and buttons are typically located on the front.
Top loading washing machines open from the top of the machine, where clothes can be loaded and unloaded. The dials and buttons are typically found on top, along the back edge of the machine.
 Deciding which is best is a matter of personal choice, although there are a number of pro's and con's that should be considered.


The Pro's and Con's

How's it going to perform?Front loaders typically rank better than top loaders in terms of performance.
How's it going to wash? Front loaders are gentler on the clothes than top loaders. They have higher spin speeds resulting in less moisture in the clothes on completion. This shortens drying time and minimises use of a tumble dryer. In terms of dirt removal or rinse performance, neither type has an advantage, but front loaders offer more temperature and wash options.
I want to save water and energyOne of the biggest advantages of front loaders is that they use less water than top loaders, up to 70% less in some cases or 36,000 litres per year for a typical household. They also use less detergents and less energy if you wash with warm or hot water. This reduces greenhouse gases making front loaders more environmentally friendly than top loaders.

How easy is it to load washing? Front loaders on the floor require bending to load and unload, unlike top loaders which could cause problems for those with back problems. However, these problems are reduced if front loaders are placed on pedestals or a purpose built cabinet.

Saving space Front loaders are very effective space savers. A dryer can easily be mounted on top of the machine without interfering with its operation.
Can I add clothes after turning the machine on? Most front loaders cannot be opened once the cycle starts. However, some newer models are able to overcome this problem. Washing can be added to top loaders at any point of the cycle.
How long does it take to wash? Front loaders generally take longer to complete a cycle than top loaders, sometimes up to 40 minutes more.

What to look for before buying a Front or Top Loader

By law, all washing machines must carry a label which gives a star rating for the machine's water efficiency. The more stars, the less water the machine uses per wash. The label also provides water consumption in litres for each cold and warm wash. The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme has a rinse performance test built into the rating, so you know your clothes will come out clean.All machines will also display a label for energy efficiency. The most stars displayed, the less energy the machine uses. Energy consumption figures may also be provided for warm and cold wash. To minimise your total running costs, you should select a model within your budget that is high in both water and energy efficiency.If you want to buy a top loader in preference to a front loader and want to save water, look for a model with at least 3 water efficiency stars and an adjustable water level. This will enable you to reduce the water used with smaller loads.To save water and energy, always run your washing machine on full load. Washing in cold water saves energy and may not compromise the quality of the wash.

Pool & Spa

Swimming pools use a huge amount of water, but if they are designed well to use rainwater and protected with a Smart WaterMark pool cover they don't have to be wasteful. Remember, it is possible to enjoy water whilst not wasting it at the same time.There are a number of effective ways to reduce water wastage in the pool and spa.

• Reduce evaporation
• Capture rainfall to refill your pool
• Reduce backwash on your filter
• Behavioural changes

Evaporation is a major cause of water loss from your swimming pool. It is important to remember that the evaporation rate is highest in the early evening as the air cools and the water remains warm.

Pool covers


A pool cover is the most effective way to reduce evaporation. A good pool cover, if properly used, will reduce water evaporation from your pool and also reduce your pool chemicals bill. Pool covers range from simple leaf covers (which reduce evaporation by around 40%) though to thicker blankets and security covers (which can save up to 90% evaporation). 



Pool blankets


These offer a more affordable option and are available in bubble plastic or foam, which float on the water's surface. If used with a roller they can be easily removed before pool use, then spread again after you have finished swimming for the day.

Increase shade


Covering your pool with a shade will further reduce evaporation as well as protecting swimmers from harsh sunrays. Use shade cloth or a shade sail.

Liquid pool covers


These are a new alternative available if you don't want to hide your pool water with a cover or blanket. The chemical forms a barrier on the water's surface which inhibits evaporation by up to 40%. It can either be added to the pool daily by hand or by using an automatic metering system.

Prevent wind exposure


Wind contributes to evaporation. To reduce water loss, adjust the landscape around your pool with walls and hedges that create shelter from the wind.