Saving water in the home

Water Efficient Labeling Scheme (WELS)

What is WELS?

It is Australia’s water efficiency labelling scheme, similar to the Energy Star Rating. It allows consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products. The rating system has six stars. The more stars the better. The label also shows a water consumption and water flow figure.

By choosing a WELS product Australians could save more than $600 million through reduced water and energy bills. By 2021 it is estimated that using water efficient products will help to

Reduce domestic water use by 5% or 87,200 million litres each year; and
Save a total of about 610,000 million litres (more water than in Sydney Harbour)

Nearly 50% of the savings will come from more efficient washing machines, about 25% from showers and 22% from toilets.

Visit the Water Rating website.

Showers

A standard shower head uses about 15 -25 litres of water per minute. A 4 star rated shower head uses as little as 6-7 litres per minute. Using a 4 star rated shower head for an 8 minute shower will save 48 litres of water or 5 buckets of water.

Water saving tips

Half of all water is used in the bathroom.
Take shorter showers.
Fill the tub with only as much water as you need

Taps

Standard taps use 15 – 18 litres per minute, whilst low flow and aerating models use as little as 2 litres per minute.

Water saving tips

Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth.
Fill the sink with warm water when you shave rather than having the tap running.
If you have a leaking tap, replace the washer and other components as required. A dripping tap can waste up to 30 – 200 litres/day.

Toilets

An old single flush toilet can use up to 12 litres per flush, whereas dual flush toilets use less than 4 litres per flush on average. This saves a bucket of water each time you flush. Using a water efficient dual flush toilet reduces household water use by around 30,000- 40,000 litres every year.

Water saving tips

Leaking toilet cisterns waste litres of water each day. Check for leaks by putting a few drops of food dye in the cistern. The coloured water will appear in the bowl before the toilet is flushed.