Be water wise
Be water wise
Be water wise
You can start being water wise in your home with our handy tips.
We all need to be on water watch and make every drop count. On this page, you’ll find our home water use calculator, top tips for saving water in your home, how to report a leak, and a range of other resources for water efficiency.
Calculate your home water use
Our home water calculator helps you to go through the areas of your home and property, and calculate how much water you are using.
The tool compares your use against the average in your area and gives you a goal to reduce your use if you are a high water user.
Understand how much water you use and where
There are some quick and easy ways you can save water at home. Before you start your water saving journey, complete the checklist to see how much water you’re using in your home.
How can I reduce my water use?
Toilets
Buy a dual flush toilet with a 4-star water efficiency rating. These toilets use just 4.5 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half flush.
Old toilets use around 18 litres per flush, so put a water filled plastic bottle or a brick into your cistern to reduce the water used.
Taps
A running tap uses about 5 litres of water per minute. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and use a glass for rinsing.
A dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 litres a year. So, if your tap is dripping get it fixed.
Bathroom
Shorter showers save water and energy. Limit time spent in the shower to soap up, wash down, and rinse off.
Use a shower timer. Choose from a manual 4 minute egg timer or an electronic timer.
Avoid rinsing your razor under a running tap, instead fill the basin with a little warm water.
Shave your legs before taking a shower, then use the shower water to rinse off. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is a waste. So, make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high - ideally no higher than 60°C.
Kitchen
Don’t rinse dishes under a running tap. If you have 2 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.
When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and maintain precious vitamins in the food.
Waste disposal units in sinks use about 6 litres of water per day. Scrape food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than rinsing them down the kitchen sink.
The dishwasher is the highest consumer of water in the kitchen. Install a water efficient model to save water and money. Only run your dishwasher when it’s full.
