Water efficiency
You can find simple ways to save water at home, at school and through your business. Choose the most efficient appliances with help from water rating labels. Change your water usage habits and reduce your water bills. Get a business rebate for upgrading your appliances.
We need water to survive. That’s why we need to use it well.
Households
People who live in detached houses in the ACT use more than half our mains water. An average home of 2.6 residents (based on 2016 census data) uses:
- 39% in the garden
- 20% in the bathroom
- 18% for toilet flushing
- 13% in the laundry
- 6% in the kitchen.
You can make simple changes in your home to save thousands of litres of water each year. You may also reduce your water bill.
Water efficient appliances
You can save water and support climate action by installing water-efficient appliances. Check the water rating label to learn the efficiency of your household items. Look for more stars for better water efficiency. Use the water flow figure to compare usage per minute, flush or load.
The water rating must be on:
- washing machines
- dishwashers
- showers
- taps
- toilets and urinals.
Most of your appliances will also have an energy rating label.
Bathrooms
In the bathroom, you can save water by:
- taking shorter showers
- getting a plumber to fit a water-saving shower head
- checking for leaking taps, toilets and pipes
- turning taps off firmly
- not running the tap continuously when cleaning your teeth or shaving – put the plug in instead
- asking a plumber to install aerators and pressure reduction valves.
Did you know?
- You can save 30,000 to 40,000 litres of water per year by replacing an 11-litre single flush toilet with a 4-star dual flush toilet.
- A dripping tap can waste more than 2,000 litres of water a month. That’s 24,000 litres a year! Even a leak that wastes a cup of water per hour will waste over 2,000 litres per year.
- A slow leak in your toilet can waste more than 4,000 litres of water a year. Add a few drops of biodegradable food colouring into the cistern and wait for 30 minutes. If the coloured water flows into the toilet bowl, contact a plumber to check the leak.
- Taps discharge 15 to 18 litres of water per minute compared with water-efficient and aerating taps, which can use as little as 2 litres per minute.
- You can save 14,500 litres of water each year with a 3-star water efficient showerhead.
Laundries
In the laundry, you can save water by:
- choosing a machine with at least a 4-star water rating and 3.5-star energy rating
- only using the washing machine when you have a full load
- choosing the right water level for the load.
Did you know?
- A 2-star washing machine for 6.5 kg of clothes uses 130 litres of water per wash. A 4-star model will use around 60–71 litres of water per wash.
Kitchens
In the kitchen, you can save water by:
- choosing a dishwasher with a high efficiency rating and a half-wash or economy option
- only using your dishwasher when it is full
- using the dishwasher rinse setting instead of rinsing dishes under the tap
- putting a plug in the sink or using a bowl to wash fruits and vegetables.
Did you know?
- A running kitchen tap can use around 9 litres of water a minute.
- A water-efficient dishwasher can save water compared to washing by hand. A 4-star model uses around 1 litre of water or less per place setting washed, and a 5-star model uses around 800ml per setting.
Read your water meter before you go to bed and then first thing in the morning. If the reading changes overnight with no water use, you might have a leaking pipe.
Get free advice on efficient water use through the Sustainable Home Advice Program.
There are also many ways to save water in your garden.
Schools
Schools use a lot of water but there are simple ways to use it efficiently.
At your school, you can save water by:
- checking for leaking taps, toilets and pipes
- turning taps off firmly
- talking to staff and students about being water wise
- displaying posters or newsletter items about how to save water
- organising competitions and giving awards
- downloading our resources.
Get started with the Sustainable Schools Program.
Businesses
The Business and Energy Water Program helps small and medium businesses save water.
You can get rebates of up to $5,000 to help your business upgrade to more efficient products.
Water strategy
The ACT Water Strategy 2014–44 aims to manage our water resources over 30 years. It has 3 outcomes:
- healthy catchments and waterbodies
- sustainable and efficiently used water supply
- community that values and enjoys its water.
Improving ACT waterways is part of the strategy. Another priority is to plan cities to manage water runoff and be resilient to climate change. This includes planning for unpredictable rainfall, flash flooding and heat waves. Find out more about what the ACT Government is doing.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.