The average Australian household uses around 900 Litres of water a day. Given the growing scarcity of this precious resource and the potential for it to cost us a lot more in the future, now’s the time to be looking at how we use water at home and where we can reduce our consumption.
Water use statistics
Statistics show that we use a lot of our water at home in the following ways:
- Taking a shower – 12 to 15 litres a minute.
- Flushing the toilet – 12 litres.
- Running the dishwasher – 60 litres.
- Doing the washing – 150 litres.
Statistics also show that we can effectively halve that usage simply by upgrading our appliances to water-wise models.
- Efficient shower head – 7 litres a minute instead of 15
- Dual flush toilet – 6 litres instead of 12
- Modern dishwasher – 18 litres instead of 60
- Front load washer – 60 litres instead of 150.
These statistics further show us that a lot of the water we use is water that is simply wasted.
- Dripping tap – up to 150 litres a day
- Leaking toilet – up to 300 litres a day
- Sprinkler – up to 1000 litres an hour.
Water saving tips
So given the statistics, what can we do to reduce our household water consumption? Surprisingly enough, there are lots of little ways to use less water that will soon add up to big savings. These include:
- Reducing our shower times to under four minutes, which is adequate time for washing.
- Using a cup to rinse when brushing our teeth instead of running the tap.
- Replacing a dripping tap with a humble washer that can be bought for a few dollars and will save you hundreds of dollars.
- Putting a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water that is used to flush the toilet.
- Only using the dishwasher when it is full.
- Using drip irrigation systems instead of sprinklers.
- Using a hose with a trigger attachment instead of a spray nozzle.
- Washing the car on the lawn and using a bucket rather than a hose.
- Covering the swimming pool when not in use to reduce evaporation throughout the day.
- Using the rainwater from our roofs and gutters to water our gardens.
Statistics don’t lie, and the stats on domestic water usage in Australia are alarming. In a country where drought is never far away, we need to become water-wise very quickly if we aren’t to become the Unlucky Country that buys water from its neighbours.
