Saving Water Indoors
Take a tour of our home to see how you can save water indoors every day.
There are many ways to save water in the bathroom, laundry, kitchen and other parts of your home. Many are quick and low in cost. Some will even save you time and money.
| Ways to save |
How to do it |
What you could save |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce your shower time to 4 minutes. |
Cutting your shower time down to 4 minutes is a simple and quick way to save water. |
For older model showerheads, cutting shower time from 7 to 4 minutes will save around 42 L/person/day. If you have a new water efficient model, congratulations! You are already saving precious drinking water. But you can still do more. Cutting shower time from 7 to 4 minutes will save around a further 27 L/person/day. |
| Exchange your old showerhead for a new water efficient model for FREE. |
An older model showerhead can use around 14 L/min. A new water efficient model uses only 9 L/min. Logon to your water retailer website to find out how to exchange your showerhead for free. |
If you have a 4 minute shower each day, you could save around 20 L/person/day by exchanging your showerhead for free. |
| Install aerators or flow restrictors in all your taps. |
Some taps can run at around 15 litres per minute. A simple, low cost way to save water is to fit aerators or flow restrictors to your bathroom and kitchen taps. These handy water saving devices can be purchased at your local hardware store and are a great way to save water. |
A tap aerator could save you around 9 litres per minute from your kitchen and bathroom taps. |
| Install a cistern weight, if you have an old single flush toilet. |
An old single flush toilet can use around 11 litres of precious drinking water per flush. A simple, low cost way to save water is to fit a cistern weight to your old single flush toilet. These weights can be purchased at your local hardware store and are a great way to save water. |
A toilet weight could save you around 3 litres of water per flush. So, if you flush a single flush toilet 4 times a day, you could save around 12 L/person/day. |
| Can you cut one load of washing? |
An old inefficient washing machine can use around 140 litres/load. Can you cut one load per week? |
By cutting one load of washing by an old machine, a family of 4 could save 5 L/person/day. |
| Check for leaks. |
Check your toilet for leaks. Simply put a few drops of food dye in the cistern, wait 15 minutes and then check the water in the bowl. If the food dye colour appears in the bowl you have a leak. Check your house for leaks. Take a water meter reading and then wait around 4 hours. Be sure not to use water during this time. Take a second reading and if your water use has increased, you may have a leak. |
Leaks can be very wasteful and expensive. If you have a leak, you could be wasting up to 50 litres per day or even more. If you have a leak, contact your local plumbing service to get it fixed. For a family of 4, fixing a leak could save up to 12.5 L/person/day or more |
| Reach for the water stars. | If you are in the market for a new toilet, washing machine or dishwasher, reach for the water stars. Remember more stars means more savings! |
Replacing an old single flush toilet with the newest most efficient dual flush unit saves around 7 litres per flush. So, if you flush 4 times a day, you could save around 28 L/person/day. Replacing an old washing machine with a new efficient model can save around 70 litres per load. For a 4 person household doing 4 loads of washing a week, that’s a 10 L/person/day saving. |
| Look for rebates. |
Find out how to apply for water saver rebates. |
The Victorian Government's rebate scheme lets Victorians claim rebates on water saving products like three-star water efficient showerheads, upgrading to eligible dual flush toilets, garden products, rainwater tanks and systems for reusing household waste water. Water savings and rebate amounts vary. |
| Every bit counts. |
There are many more ways to save every day. Here are some other ideas and some space for you to add in your own. |
Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth or shaving. Keep bathwater to a minimum and divert to the garden if possible. Don’t wash your dishes under running water. Only wash with a full load of clothes. Make sure the dishwasher is full before turning it on. Divert your washing machine water to your garden. Repair leaking taps immediately. |
