Water Conservation Tips

View water conservation tips for both inside and outside the home.

Inside the Home

  • Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth saves up to 18 litres each morning per person.
  • Fix leaky faucets and toilets promptly. A dripping faucet can waste up to 300 litres a month. A silent toilet leak can waste thousands.
  • Run full loads of laundry and dishes. Avoid partial loads to save both water and energy. 
  • Use a high-efficiency showerhead. Replacing an old showerhead can cut usage by 30%.
  • Install single flush toilets that use 4.8 litres per flush or less and/or dual flush toilets with a maximum of 6 litres per flush.
  • Use low-flow showerheads to reduce the flow by 40 to 60% and save up to eight litres of water per minute.
  • Insulate hot water pipes so you don’t have to run as much water to get hot water to the faucet.
  • Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 4,500 litres a month.
  • If your washing machine has a suds-saver feature, make sure to use it. This feature reuses the clean rinse water for washing the next load. When buying a new clothes washer, look for an ENERGY STAR qualified front-load model to reduce water use by 45% and energy use by 65%.
  • Use a basin when hand-washing dishes. Fill one sink to wash and one to rinse, don’t leave the water running.
  • Keep a jug of drinking water in the fridge to avoid running the tap waiting for cold water.
  • The average faucet flows at a rate of 9 litres per minute. You can save up to 18 litres of water every morning by turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth.

Outside the Home

  • Water lawns early morning or evening to reduce evaporation. Consider shortening your watering time. Watering on windy days will carry water away from its intended area; wasting water and money.
  • Use a rain barrel to collect water. Try planting drought resistant trees and plants. They require little or no watering during hot, dry periods.
  • Sweep patios and driveways instead of hosing them off to save hundreds of litres per use.
  • Check outdoor taps, hoses, and sprinklers for leaks. A small drip can add up quickly, especially over the summer when hoses, etc. are in higher use.
  • Use a pool cover to prevent evaporation / reduce the need to top up your pool frequently.
  • Use water toys and outdoor “kiddy” pools to cool off instead of the sprinkler. A sprinkler uses 1,300 litres per hour, so the savings can be astounding. Replace broken or missing sprinkler heads. A missing sprinkler head can add up to many litres of wasted water.