Laundry
15-20% of all water consumed in the home is used in the laundry, making this room a high consumer of not only water but also energy and detergents.
There are many inexpensive ways to save water in the laundry. One of the easiest is to install a water efficient washing machine. Many major appliances and tapware products carry labels according to their water efficiency. Look out for the WELS (Water Efficience Labelling and Standards) label - this is displayed on the product or a swing tag. It demonstrates that manufacturers and importers have ensured their product has been tested and complies with the Australian Standard in the respective category.
Washing Machine Tips
- Look for washing machines that have a four or more star rating (WELS label).
- Consider buying a water efficient front loading washing machine.
- Check the water efficiency performance of any product before buying.
- Adjust the water level to suit the size of the wash load - some new water efficient models will do this automatically.
- Wash with a full load and you'll save 10 litres of water each wash.
- Use the sud-saver option, if your old machine has one, when you have several loads to wash.
Top Tap Tips
- Leaking taps can usually be fixed with a new washer. This is easy to do - remember to turn the water off at the mains before you start.
- If the tap still drips, call a plumber - the cost incurred will save you money on your water bills in the long run.
- 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.
- Install water efficient tapware or retrofit old tapware with aerators or flow control valves.