Saving Water in the House

We use a huge amount of water inside the home from washing ourselves, our clothes, brushing our teeth, flushing toilets and cooking. Here are some tips on how to use water more efficiently in your home.

Bathroom

Around 40% of water used in the home is in the bathroom. Much of that is wasted, including the 10% that is flushed down the toilet. Some tips to help reduce water use in the bathroom are:

Tips for the shower

Water efficient showerheads use less than 6 litres of water a minute while their older style counterparts can use up to 20 litres a minute. 4 star rated WELS showerheads are designed to provide a powerful shower whilst being water and energy efficient. See additional information on how to fit efficient showerheads here

Other ideas are:

  • Reduce shower time by using a shower timer, either sand or electronic. Alternatively, if you enjoy singing, you can choose your favourite 4-minute song from this playlist.
  • Collect water in a bucket while you are waiting for the shower to heat up and use it in your garden. Your plants will love it.
  • Shave your legs with the water off or before taking a shower, then use the shower to rinse off.

Tips for the bath

Many people believe baths waste a lot of water, but in many instances taking a bath may use less water than showering. If you love soaking in the tub, consider these simple tips to ensure you are using your bath water wisely.

  • Only fill the tub with as much water as needed.  Use less water for children and pets.
  • Check the temperature as the tub fills, adding extra water to get the correct temperature after the bath has reached the right level is wasteful.
  • Regularly check the plug for leaks and replace when necessary.  Often the rubber seals dry out or crack and become ineffective.
  • Bucket some of the used bath water onto the garden, pot plants or lawn. Make sure you check any soaps or detergents used won’t harm your lawn or plants.

Tips for toilets

A quarter of the water used in the bathroom is flushed down the toilet, it seems silly to waste valuable drinking water flushing the toilet. With these simple tips it is easy to reduce water use in the loo: 

  • Don’t use your toilet as a bin.  Feminine hygiene products, baby wipes, ‘flushable’ wipes and even goldfish should go in the bin. Flushing these down the toilet not only wastes water but places additional strain on the sewer system and contributes to blockages.
  • If you are building a new home, install plumbing to flush your toilets using rainwater or grey water. 
  • If you are renovating, replace existing single flush toilets with a dual flush toilet with a four or more star water efficiency rating. These toilets use as little as 4.5 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half flush.
  • If you have an old toilet, that does not have a dual flush or high water efficiently rating, you can use a filled water bottle or brick in your cistern to reduce the water used.  

     

Kitchen and Cooking

Did you know that 10% of household water consumption is used in the kitchen for cooking, cleaning, washing dishes or drinking? Some tips to help reduce water use in the kitchen are: 

Tips for the kitchen

  • Wash your vegetables in a container, not under running water. 
  • When boiling vegetables, use just enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the pan. Vegetables will boil quicker saving energy and retain more vitamins in the food. Use the cooled vitamin rich water for pets, garden or potted plants.
  • 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 a day. Instead put suitable food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than down the sink. Your garden and the sewer system will thank you.

Tips for the dishwasher

  • When purchasing a new dishwasher, check the products water efficiency rating. Using a dishwasher is usually more water efficient then washing by hand if the dishwater is a 6 Star WELS rated model.
  • Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load. 
  • Scrape rather than rinse your dishes before putting them into the dishwasher or if it has one, use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher.

Tips for the sink

  • Don’t rinse washed dishes under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second sink with rinsing water. If you have one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse with a pan of hot water.
  • Use washing up liquid sparingly as this reduces the amount of rinsing needed when washing dishes by hand.
  • When rinsing dishes use a plugged sink or pan of water, save running the tap continuously.
  • Flow controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
  • Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food, place food in the fridge to defrost overnight.
  • When cleaning, peeling or preparing fruits and vegetables, wash them in a partially filled sink and then rinse off quickly under the tap, where needed.

 

Laundry

Approximately 20% of the water used in the home is in the laundry. In addition to water, washing machines also use lots of detergent and energy. Some tips to reduce water, energy and detergent use in the laundry are:

Tips for the washing machine

  • If you are in the market for a new washing machine, look for one with a 6 star WELS rating.
  • Consider buying a front loader when purchasing a new washing machine. They are gentler on clothes, have higher spin speeds minimising the need for a tumble dryer, offer more temperature and wash options as well as use up to 70% less water than top loader washing machines, use less detergent and less energy which reduces greenhouse gases making front loaders more environmentally friendly. 
  • Washing in cold water saves energy and may not compromise the quality of the wash.
  • Adjust the water level to suit the size of the wash load; many new models will do this automatically.
  • Always wash with a full load.
  • Use the sud-saver option on your machine, if it has one when doing serval loads. 
  • Find additional water saving strategies for the laundry here.

Tips for hot water systems

  • Consider an instantaneous water heater if your current water heater is a long distance from the bathroom. We encourage you to consult a licensed plumber prior to installation, to ensure it will work adequately with your fixtures. 
  • To save energy, insulate hot water pipes and avoid wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through.
  • Make sure your hot water temperature is set no higher than 60°C. Adding cold water to reduce the temperature of hot water is wasteful.

 

 

Tips for taps

A running tap wastes about 5 litres of water a minute, remembering to turn taps off, and fixing any leaks can save valuable water.  Here are some quick and easy tips to help save water when using your taps:

  • If you have a dripping tap consider getting it fixed, it can waste up to 12,000 litres of water a year.
  • Turn the tap off when brushing teeth, wet the brush and use a glass of water for rinsing.
  • Don’t rinse your razor under a running tap, fill the basin with a little warm water, it's just as effective and less wasteful.

 

Leaks

Did you know a dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 litres of water a year? That is a lot of water and money down the drain. Information on how to check for leaks in your house can be found here:

Leaking taps

A dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 Litres a year. If the leak is from a hot water pipe or a pumped water supply, you’ll also be facing a significant energy cost. To ensure you are not wasting water, energy and money:

  • Fix any leaking taps by replacing the washer. Information on how to change a tap washer can be found here. Alternatively, have the leak fixed by a licensed plumber.
  • Check garden taps and hoses regularly for signs or sounds of leaks. Wet patches on the ground could indicate possible underground leaking pipe or watering system. 
  • For more information and instructions on how to use your water meter to check for leaks, view Smart Water Advice Early Leak Detection Guide.

 

Leaking toilets

Leaking toilet cisterns waste litres of water each day and are often the result of a rubber valve deteriorating. For information on how to check for leaking toilet cisterns, click here. If you determine that your toilet is leaking, contact a licensed plumber. 

Other leaks

Customers are responsible for all water that has passed through the water meter, meaning they are also responsible for water leaks that occur on their property. It is recommended for customers to monitor their water use regularly by reading the water meter. The diagram below shows where Council’s responsibility ends, and the homeowner’s responsibility begins.

 Water + Sewer Diagram - Water Meter Maintenance Responsibility

If you have identified a water leak on the property side of the meter, you are required to contact a licensed plumber to carry out the appropriate work at your own expense.

If you have identified a water leak on Council's side of the meter, please report the issue to Council’s Customer Service Centre on 02 6578 7290. Common leaks at the meter to report are;

  • Meter tap won’t turn off the water supply
  • Meter tap is leaking
  • Body of the meter is leaking
  • Pipe from the main to the meter is leaking.

For more information, please visit Singleton Councils Water Leaks Website Page.

 

Additional Information

Helpful information on how to save water at home can be found here.