Leaving a tap running wastes water and if its a hot tap it will waste energy too
Bathroom taps
Here are some quick tips to help you save water when using your bathroom taps:
- A running tap uses about 16 litres of water per minute.
- A dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 litres a year! That’s a lot of water, so if your tap is dripping you should be getting it fixed.
- Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. Wet your brush and use a glass for rinsing.
- Don’t rinse your razor under a running tap. Filling the basin with a little warm water is just as effective and less wasteful.
Flow controllers
A flow controller helps regulate a steady flow rate of water through your taps no matter how much the pressure varies from the supply line.
Kitchen taps
- When washing dishes by hand, don’t rinse them under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of hot water.
- Use washing-up liquid sparingly as this will reduce the amount of rinsing required when washing dishes by hand.
- Use a plugged sink or a pan of water. This saves running the tap continuously.
- When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and it will save you water, power, and preserve precious vitamins in the food.
- Flow-controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
- Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food. Ideally place food in refrigerator to defrost overnight.
- If you have a leaking tap, replace the washer or other components as required. Dripping taps can waste 30–200 litres of water per day.
