Save Water with Efficient Plumbing

Save Water with Efficient Plumbing

Up to 40% of a households water is used in the toilet and bathroom. You can choose from a range of water efficient plumbing products to improve your home’s water efficiency.

Toilets
Toilets are perhaps the biggest water wasting appliance in your household. Around 20% of all water used in a house is flushed down the toilet. Upgrading an old toilet to a new water efficient system can make a huge difference to your household water consumption.

A dual-flush option, which offers the choice of a 1-gallon flush for liquid waste or 1.4-gallon flush for bulk waste, can save the average household about 5,000 gallons of water per year, according to Kohler.

1. An old toilet system can use up to 12 litres of water per flush. New water efficient toilets used around 4 litres.
2. Replacing a single flush toilet with a dual flush system saves around 51 litres a day, or 10% of our daily water usage. Liquids and paper flush uses 70% less water. These can be installed fairly quickly.
3. A single flush toilet costs three times as much as a dual flush toilet to maintain over a 10 year period.

Showers
Reducing your shower time is one of the best ways to save water, but installing water efficient shower heads is also a great way to cut your water consumption.

1. Standard shower heads use 15-25 litres of water a minute. Water efficient shower heads use 6-7 litres per minute.
2. Over the course of a year, an energy efficient shower head will save 14,500 litres of water per household.
3. Gas hot water costs for a standard shower head are almost double that of a water efficient shower head.

Saving tap water
A running tap uses around 16 litres of water a minute. A leaking tap can waste up to 30-200 litres a day. Try the following tips to avoid wasting tap water:

1. Install water efficient taps and fix any leaking taps immediately.
2. Never leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
3. Never leave the tap running while you shave.
4. Never wash your dishes using a running tap.

Other water conservation tips

1. When buying new appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, look for those with the highest WELS rating (a water efficiency measurement). The most efficient appliances use 50-67% less water than older models.
2. Check for evidence of water and toilet leaks regularly. A good way to do so is by checking the water meter while all appliances, taps and toilets are not in use. If your meter is turning, this can indicate a water leakage.

Water Saving Tips from Kohler

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