Water Saving Tips

	General		Laundry
	Kitchen		Outdoors
	Bathroom		Rainwater tanks
	Toilet		Washing the car
	2007 Water Usage Graphs

If every person in Waitakere uses less water everyone will win! By reducing how much water you use you will save money on your water bill and the city will save on water production costs - treatment plants, pumps, pipes and reservoirs - and delay the need for new dams.

General

• Fix dripping taps. You can save up to 100 litres a day (that's up to 36,500 litres of water a year) just by replacing a worn washer - that's a saving of up to $54 a year!
• Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is wasteful
• Aerated taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Check for leaking pipes.
• High water pressure increases flow rates from showers, taps, leaks and drips. If you have extreme high water pressure, a registered plumber can fit a pressure limiting valve at your property boundary.
• A running tap can send 14 litres of water down the drain every minute.
• High water pressure increases flow rates from showers, taps, leaks and drips. If you have extreme high water pressure, Council can fit a pressure limiting valve at your property boundary at no charge. Please contact us to arrange this. The owner needs to organise a plumber to recommend the pressure level required prior to the Council work being commenced.

Kitchen

• For rinsing dishes or washing fruit and vegetables etc, half-fill your sink with water rather than leaving the tap running.
• Use the minimum amount of dishwashing detergent (when washing dishes by hand) as this will reduce the amount of rinsing required.
• Use a compost pile or worm farm for food scraps rather than a waste disposal unit. Garbage-disposal units use about 30 litres of water per day and send a lot of extra rubbish into the sewers. This places an additional load on sewerage treatment plants.
• Use economy settings for small loads in your dishwasher.
• If your Dishwasher does not have an economy setting, only do full loads
• Each time you use a dishwasher you use on average 40 litres of water, or 14,000 litres a year.
• When buying a new dishwasher, choose one that is water efficient.
• For cold drinking water keep a container of chilled water in the fridge, rather than running the cold water tap until the water is cold.

Bathroom

• Turn the tap off when you're brushing your teeth or shaving. If you brush your teeth twice a day, for two minutes each time, and leave the tap running, you waste approximately 56 litres per day - that's over 20,000 litres a year per person.
• An average shower head with mains pressure uses at least 12 litres of water per minute. If you have an 8 minute shower that is 96 litres per day or 35,040 litres per year.
• A water efficient/low flow shower head can reduce your water usage to between 5 and 7 litres per minute. They cost as little as $50 and can save up to 50 litres of water for each six minute shower, or up to 20,000 litres of water per person per year. An efficient shower will also reduce your power bill, as you use less hot water.
• Showers use much less water than baths. The average bath uses over 150 litres. Only fill the tub with as much water as is required, for example you don't need so much when bathing children.
• Take shorter showers - they also save you time and hot water costs.

Toilet

• The average single flush toilet uses 11 litres per full flush. A household with 3 occupants flushes, on average, 15 times per day which is 165 litres per day or over 60,000 litres per year
• Modern dual flush toilets use only 3 or 6 litres of water per flush. This is 30% less than older dual flush cisterns and up to 8 litres less than single flush toilets.
• A flush control device, such as a gizmo, will save significant amounts of water on most types of toilet cistern. It can save up to 30,000 litres per year.
• If you can't install a gizmo a brick or zip-lock plastic bag filled with water can be placed in the cistern to reduce the amount of water used for each flush.
• It is common for toilet cisterns to leak or overflow.
• A leaking toilet wastes litres of water each day. Check for leaks by putting a few drops of food dye into the cistern. If you have a leak, coloured water will appear in the bowl before the toilet has been flushed. If you have a leak either adjust the water level in the cistern or you may have to get it repaired.
• Check your toilet and hot water overflow pipes are not leaking.

Laundry

• 20% of your water is used in the Laundry
• Ensure you have a full load of washing - each time you use your top loader machine you use 200 litres of water on average.
• If you don't have a full load, adjust the water level or use economy settings to suit the size of your wash load.
• Save water by reducing the rinse cycle.
• When buying a new washing machine, choose one that is water efficient. Front loaders use about half the water that top loaders use. Look out for the 'AAA' Water Conservation Label - the more 'A's the more water efficient it is. Improved washing machines use between 45 & 165 litres per load and could save you up to $43 a year in water and power.
• Save your 'grey water' from your washing machine rinse and use it to water the garden.

Outdoors

• Water gardens in the early morning or late evening to minimise evaporation.
• Try not to over-water - use a timer to remind you to turn off the sprinkler.
• Don't leave hoses running. A running hose can waste up to 400 litres of water per hour.
• Check for leaks on hoses and taps
• Use mulch to minimize evaporation. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture, inhibits weed growth, and prevents erosion
• Use a broom instead of the hose to clean paths and driveways
• Over 80% of the water used in your home ends up as wastewater (sewage). If you reduce your water usage you produce less waste water. That means that less treated waste water is discharged into the environment.
• Adjust sprinklers so they do not spray on paths, driveways and against buildings
• When you clean your fish tank, use the 'old' nitrogen and phosphorous-rich water on your plants.
• Water the garden early in the morning when the air is calm. Watering in the evening is the next best option. Heat and wind cause water to evaporate quickly.
• Time watering your garden so you don't over water
• Group plants with similar water requirements together so that you can tend to them without over-watering other plants. Remember, native plants require less watering.

Rainwater tanks

• Install a rainwater tank or barrel. Using rainwater can reduce your water bills, as rainwater is free!
• A rainwater tank can provide up to 65% of your household water usage.
• Rainwater tanks reduce the load on stormwater systems, as roof runoff is not flushed into the drains.

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print this document.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

For more information see our Rainwater Tank information brochure (Size 1869K)

Read the Rainwater Tanks Study

Rainwater Tank Rebate

Waitakere City Council is currently offering 3 types of rainwater tank rebates, from 1 July 2008 - 30 June 2009 on rainwater tanks which meet the following criteria:

• Over 2000 litres (528.5 gallons)
• Will be used for supplying water to the laundry and/or toilet, and watering garden
• Is not the primary water supply
• Is not a condition of a Building or Resource Consent
• Preference is given to tanks being installed into existing homes and to areas where stormwater is a problem

N.B Other conditions apply (see Rainwater Tank Rebate Form for further information)

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print this document.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

If you are interested in applying for a Rainwater Tank Rebate please complete the Rainwater Tank Rebate Form (Size 180K) and return to:

Waitakere City Council
Rainwater Tank Rebates
Private Bag 93109
HENDERSON

Washing the car

Wash using a bucket and rinse off with the hose. Wash your car on your lawn if possible to avoid detergent and other residues from entering the stormwater system. Alternatively, wash your car at a car-wash centre whose drains are connected to the wastewater network.

Water audits

We can provide a free water audit to help you reduce water use and costs. Contact us to book an audit.

Water Conservation

Read about our "Water Wise-up" Water Saving Programme

2007 Water Usage Graphs

Please click on the image to enlarge