Recreation, Culture & Social Support Services
Water Conservation Tips
A variety of water efficient fixtures and appliances are available on the market. Retro-fitting and/or replacing older, less efficient fixtures can help reduce your household’s water consumption and save you money on your water and sewer bill.
Water Efficient Fixtures
|
. |
Older/standard model |
Water-efficient model |
Savings per year |
| Shower | eight litres per minute | 6 litres per minute | 9,052 litres or 22 per cent |
| Washer | 155 litres per load | 102 litres per load | 20,732 litres or 34 per cent |
| Dishwasher | 40 per load | 26 litres per load | 4,380 litres or 33 per cent |
| Toilet | 20 litres per flush | 6 litres per flush | 67,747 litres or 70 per cent |
| Faucet/Aerator | 19 litres per minute | 6 litres per minute | 103,551 litres or 70 per cent |
Water Conservation Tips
Bathroom
- Repair leaking faucets and toilets. A small drip can add up to 27,000 litres per year if unattended.
- Shower instead of bathing. This can save 70 litres per session.
- Install a flow restrictor on your shower and sink head.
- Turn off your tap when brushing your teeth or shaving and save more than 6,900 litres per year.
- Install a low-flow toilet or toilet dam.
Laundry
- Wait until you have a full load of clothes.
- When purchasing a new washing machine, consider a high efficiency model that will use an average of 30% less water and 40 to 50% less electricity.
Kitchen
- Clean vegetables in a sink or pan rather than running water. You can re-use this water for watering indoor plants.
- If you wash dishes by hand, rinse them in a sink partially filled with clean water instead of running water.
- Chill water in the fridge instead of running the tap.
- Avoid using garburetors.
- Scrape, rather than rinse your dishes.
Other
- Insulate your hot water pipes and your electric water heater.
- When purchasing a water softener, consider a model that has a “hardness sensor” that will automatically trigger a regeneration.
Outdoor Tips
- Avoid over-watering lawns (limit watering to a maximum of 2 hours).
- Water early in the morning or late in the evening to prevent water loss due to evaporation.
- Collect rain water for watering your outdoor plants. Tanks should be drained weekly to prevent a mosquito breeding ground.
- Do not cut the grass too short. Longer grass helps shade the soil and reduces the need for watering.
- Plant drought-resistant varieties of trees and shrubs.
