As a nation, we are one of the biggest consumers of water on the planet. Cutting back on water usage will not only conserve one of the earth’s most precious resources, but it will reduce your energy bills too. There is a raft of smart new water saving devices on the market that will significantly reduce your household’s reliance on mains water, but you can also make savings simply by changing some ingrained habits.

How To Reduce Your Water Usage

Some easy ways to cut your water usage at home include:

• Check pipes and taps for leaks by turning off all the taps, reading the water meter and checking it again after three hours. If the meter reading has changed, then you have a leak
• Check your toilet for leaks by dropping some food colouring into the tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, this is a sign of a leaky toilet
• Replace all taps with water efficient ones or install tap aerators and you will reduce tap water usage by up to 50%
• Install water efficient showerheads
• Look for a water efficient dishwasher and washing machine – the higher the WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling) rating, the less water it needs to operate
• Consider replacing a top loader with a more water efficient front loading washing machine
• Wait for a full load before running the dishwasher
• Insulate hot water pipes to reduce the amount of time it takes hot water to reach your taps
• Install a rainwater tank to reduce your reliance on mains water
• Use untreated greywater for watering the garden and flushing the toilets, and treated greywater to wash the car
  

Energy Saving Toilet

Nearly half of the water consumed in the average home is in the bathroom, and a large portion of that is flushed down the toilet. A great energy saving alternative is the vacuum toilet from Vacuum Toilets Australia, which consumes just one litre of water per flush compared to eight litres with a traditional toilet - saving the average family of four a staggering 30 cubic meters of water a year.