Top Five Ways to Save Water

1. Install a water efficient shower head.

Most of the water wasted inside your house is in the shower. Installing a high star rated shower head can save 70,000 litres of water a year, that's around $70! These shower heads cost between $30 and $100 to buy and are therefore an extremely cost effective way to save water. Check with your state government or water authority to find out if any rebates are available for water saving appliances.

2. Be WaterWise in your garden

Around half of the water used in the average home goes onto the garden. Correctly installing micro-irrigation equipment used between 6.00am and 8.00am can save thousands of litres of water per year. Also, ensure driveways, patios and paths are dry-swept instead of hosed. Abide by local water restrictions and consider planting drought tolerant native species.

3. Check for leaks

A dripping tap can waste from 1 to 35 buckets of water every day; if this was left for a year, it could be enough water to fill a family swimming pool!

To check for leaks, turn off all taps at night before going to bed. Take a reading on your water meter and then check the next morning. If there's a change and no one used water during the night, you may have a leaking pipe, tap or toilet cistern.

4. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch

Mulches can prevent up to 73% evaporation loss, even-out variations in soil temperature over the day and night and improve soil structure. Spread mulch at least 75mm thick and away from the trunks of trees to prevent fungal diseases.

5. Choose water efficient appliances.

When buying new water-using appliances ensure that they are water efficient by looking for the WELS (Water efficient labelling system) stars. The more stars, the more water efficient the appliance is. These appliances have been assessed by the Water Services Association of Australia as having a high level of water efficiency.

For further information
Call a WaterWise Project Officer on (08) 8226 4402
OR
Click on the links below for more water saving tips

Discover water saving tips for every area of the home http://www.sawater.com.au/interactivehouse/
Find out how to save water in your business http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/YourBusiness/SaveWaterInYourBusiness/
For a range of publications on water conservation visit http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/WhatsNew/Publications/