With a hot summer ahead, and the ongoing drought showing no sign of relenting, we’ve put together a few tips to help you save water, courtesy of Hunter Water.
Showers
Aim for a four-minute shower or the length of your favourite song! Did you know that if we all shortened our shower by only one minute, we could save the region four million litres of water in a single day?
What kind of showerhead is in your shower? Old-style showerheads can use up to 15-20 litres per minute, whereas upgrading to a three-star WELS rated showerhead would reduce this to no more than 9 litres a minute. That’s four buckets less water used in your 4-minute shower.
Keep a bucket in the shower while you wait for the water to heat up. That way, you can put this extra water to good use around the house, such as watering your garden!
Toilets
A continuously running toilet can leak up to 60,000 litres of water per year as the water trickles down the back of the bowl. Follow these steps to detect a leak and conserve your bathroom water use:
Remove the lid of your toilet cistern.
Place a few drops of food dye into the cistern.
Do not flush your toilet for 10-15 minutes.
If the dye has seeped down into the bowl when you return, then you know you have a leak.
Taps
You can help save water by avoiding leaving taps running. Depending on the type, a running tap can use up to 12 litres of water per minute, and a dripping tap can waste up to 20,000 litres per year.
Garden and outdoors
It’s the little things we do in our homes and gardens that can make a big difference, like watering your garden early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid evaporation during the warmest part of the day. There are other simple things you can do to help make your garden more efficient, such as mulches, soil wetting agents and irrigation controllers.
Level one restrictions are currently in place. This includes only water your garden between 4pm and 10am; wash your vehicle on the grass; and sweep up hard surfaces.
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