It’s easy to become water-smart in the bathroom if you follow a few simple steps.

Before buying a new bathroom appliance, check the manufacturer’s water efficiency labels. WELS is Australia’s new Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme which allows consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products using a star rating scheme.

By buying more water-efficient products, you can save money on water and electricity bills and help the environment.

Look for a product that has a high star rating – the more stars, the more water efficient the product. A standard 3-star rated showerhead can save the average home $150 a year in water bills and can be purchased for as little as $50.

DID YOU KNOW? Three star rated showerheads use no more than 9 litres of water per minute, while old style showerheads use 15 – 20 litres per minute. If you shower for six minutes, a water efficient showerhead can save up to 50 litres of water for each shower or up to 20,000 litres of water per person per year

• Take shorter showers. Limit time spent in the shower to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. Shorter showers save on energy costs associated with heating water
• Use a shower timer. Choose from a manual 4-minute egg timer or a more sophisticated electronic timer that either attaches to the shower wall or showerhead, or is wired into the wall during construction
• Use a bucket to collect water while waiting for the shower to get hot
• Shave your legs before taking a shower. Use running shower water to rinse off.
• Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
• Consider an instantaneous water heater if your existing water heater is located some distance to the bathroom. Talk to a plumber first to make sure it will work adequately with your three star showerhead.
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to reduce the temperature of very hot water is wasteful

• Only fill the tub with as much water as needed. Use less for kids and pets.
• Check the temperature as you fill. Adding extra water to get the correct temperature after the bath is at the right level is wasteful.
• Regularly check your plug for leaks and replace as necessary.
• Bucket used bath water onto the garden, or use it to wash your car. Check that soaps and detergents in the water won’t harm garden plants.

DID YOU KNOW?
The new 4-star rated toilets by Caroma can save the average home up to 35,000 litres per year. These new toilets use just 4.5 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half flush.

• If you can’t afford a new toilet, you can purchase small gadgets to reduce the volume used with each flush of an older style toilet. They work by causing the toilet to flush for as long as the button is pressed. Waterwizz and Flexiflush are two types of these gadgets.
• Leaking toilet cisterns waste litres of water each day. Check for leaks by putting a few drops of food dye in the cistern. If you have a leak, coloured water will appear in the bowl before the toilet has been flushed.

DID YOU KNOW?
A running tap uses about 16 litres of water per minute.

• 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 as effective and less wasteful.