We’ve all heard variations of phrases like money down the drain, or job down the toilet, and it’s really no surprise that bathroom water use has become a metaphor for waste.
Bathrooms account for nearly half of all water used in the home and a lot of that is wasted.
Together we can make a difference if we’re all mindful of a few key habits and willing to make some easy changes.
Taps
A running tap uses about 12 litres of water per minute and a dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 litres a year.
- 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 just as effective and less wasteful.
- Repair any leaks as soon as possible
Baths
Baths can use less water than showers if you follow these tips.
- Only fill the tub with as much water as needed. Use less for children 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.
- Use your bath water to water the garden or wash your car.
Showers
Modern water efficient showerheads use no more than 9 litres of water per minute, while old style showerheads use up to 20 litres per minute. Upgrading your showerhead could save 50 litres of water per shower!
- Install a water efficient showerhead. Apply free to our Showerhead Exchange Programme.
- Take shorter showers. This saves water and cuts costs on heating water.
- Limit your shower to 4 minutes and use a shower timer. There are different types available from a manual egg timer to a more modern one.
- Use a bucket to collect water while waiting for the shower to get hot and keep it in there while you shower. Use that water on your garden.
- 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 on heating costs.
- 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.
- 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.
Toilets
A quarter of the water we use in the bathroom is flushed down the toilet.
Installing a water efficient dual flush toilet can save the average home up to 35,000 litres per year. The use just 4.5 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half flush. This is a massive saving when compared with 18 litres for older toilets
Buying a new toilet or renovating a bathroom won’t be realistic for most people but there are still a few things you can do.
- Put a water filled plastic bottle or brick in your cistern to reduce the volume used with each flush
- Fix leaks - a leaky toilet can waste 60,000-90,000 litres a year. Check for leaks by putting a piece of toilet paper at the back of the toilet bowl. If it gets wet the cistern is leaking.