It's worth checking that the facilities in your bathroom aren't thwarting your water saving attempts before you've even started your daily routines.

For example, did you know that a modern 4-star water efficient showerheads use no more than 6 litres of water per minute whilst still providing great performance. Older style showerheads can use up to 20 litres per minute.

Quick Wins

Here are some quick ways to consider improving the efficiency of facilities in your household's bathroom:

Showers: Replace your showerhead with a 4 star rated WELS showerhead. These are designed with performance in mind to ensure you still enjoy a powerful shower that uses water and energy efficiently. Check out the dedicated section below for more info. 

Taps: A dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 litres a year! That’s a lot of water and money down the drain. So if your tap is dripping get it fixed. New washers are readily available in all hardware stores.

Toilets: Old toilets can use up to 18 litres per flush, so put a water filled plastic bottle or a brick into your cistern to reduce the water used. If you are able to upgrade your loo, buy a dual flush toilet with a four-star water efficiency rating.  

Hot water supply: 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 showerhead. Otherwise, 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. A plumber can do this for you easily. 

Showerheads

Choose a top rated showerhead

Before buying a new showerhead, check the manufacturer’s water efficiency labels. Australia’s Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme allows consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products using a star rating system. By buying more water efficient products you can save money on water and electricity bills and help the environment!

Learn how to change your showerhead

Using water efficiently in the shower not only saves water, but uses less energy. So you’ll not only save money on both bills, but also reduce your impact on the environment. It’s easy to change to a new shower head yourself. You’ll need:

• A cloth
• An adjustable spanner or multi tool
• Steel wool
• Teflon tape; the tape usually comes with a new shower head

Check out the video for instructions: