SAVING WATER THIS SUMMER

Ways For Saving Water This Summer

Even when your part of Australia isn't in drought, there are still plenty of environmental and cost advantages to saving water.

If you're keen to help, there are plenty of steps you can take at home. Here is how to limit your household's water use in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and outdoors.

In the home

Fix those leaky taps. Even a slowly dripping tap can waste up to 20,000 litres a year—water you pay for but never use.

Keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge for drinking.  This way you don’t need to run the tap in summer until it gets cold enough for drink.

In the bathroom and laundry

Take a shorter shower. Your morning shower is a great starting point to being more sustainable as it can use anything between six to 45 litres of water per minute. Try to cut back to less than four minutes per shower. If everyone does this, you could reduce your water usage by up to 20 per cent. (And, as an added bonus, you’ll avoid the dreaded cold shower.)

Wash your clothes in cold water. With 90 per cent of your washer's electricity use going to heating water, you’ll save by using cold water. While many still believe warm water is better, the fact is, using cold water to wash your clothes can help them look better and last longer as it minimises shrinkage and fading.

Only use your washing machine with full loads to optimise water usage, or change the settings to suit the load.

In the kitchen

Fix leaks. Significantly reduce your water usage by repairing those pesky leaks in your bathroom and kitchen. A hot tap leaking at the rate of one drip per second wastes 6288 litres of water every year, so fix those leaks and start saving today.

Don’t leave the water running when rinsing dishes by hand. If you have two basins, fill one with soapy water and the other with rinsing water. If you have one sink, put your washed dishes on a dish rack and rinse them using a spray device or a pan full of hot water.

Always fill up your dishwasher. Use less hot water by running your dishwasher only when it's full and by choosing shorter, economy wash cycles. If you are worried shorter cycles might not get your dishes clean enough, you can rinse them in cold water before putting them into the machine.

In the garden

Plant a ‘waterwise’ garden using plants with low water requirements.  And what better range to choose from than our own native plants that come in a bewildering variety to keep any gardener happy. Your local wildlife will thank you for it too.

Don’t over-water your lawn (if you have one). Train it to use less water by encouraging the roots to grow deeper.

Many parts of Australia have restrictions on watering your garden. Only water on your allocated days and times. If you have retic, make sure its set to go on at the correct time and day. Contact your water supplier for more details.

If you have an outdoor pool or spa, keep it covered when not in use. Covers help prevent the water from evaporating and keep out leaves as a bonus.

We couldn’t survive without water – quite literally. Using these tips at your place will help make you more efficient, and using less hot water will help you save on your energy bills too.