The dishwasher is the highest consumer of water in the kitchen. Installing a water efficient model will save you not only water, but also money. Before purchasing a new dishwasher, check the appliance for a WELS (National Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme) label. The WELS scheme labels products for water efficiency - the more stars, the more water efficient the product. A WELS dishwasher uses half the water of an average model.

• To avoid wasting drinking water from a running tap, collect it in a bottle or jug and store it in the fridge until it is cool enough to drink.
• Garbage-disposal units use about 6 litres of water per day. Put suitable food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than down the kitchen sink.
• When you clean your fish tank, use the ‘old’ nitrogen and phosphorous-rich water on your plants.

• Look for dishwashers that have a National Water Conservation or WELS Label. The best water rating achieved by dishwashers is 5 star.
• Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load.
• Use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher, if it has one, rather than rinsing dishes under the tap.

• 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.
• Catch running water whilst waiting for it to warm up. Use it to water plants, rinse dishes or wash fruit and vegetables.
• 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.
• Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is wasteful.