WATER FACTS ~ Did you know ?

• The bathroom is one of the biggest water using areas in the home, accounting for about 20 per cent of household water.

• A standard showerhead uses about 20 litres of water a minute, while a 3-star rated showerhead limits water flow to just under half that amount.

• Toilets account for about 15 per cent of household water use.

• Washing clothes uses about a quarter of the average home’s indoor water. You can save thousands of litres of water each year by choosing a water-efficient washing machine.

• Over 160,000 rebates have been approved helping Victorians save more than 1380 megalitres of drinking water a year.

• $10 million has already been spent on the program to help Victorians to conserve future water resources.

• The Victorian Government has committed a further $20 million for rebates over the next four years, including the large tank rebates.

• That Australians consumed almost 25,000,000,000,000 litres of water in 2000-2001 almost 50 times the volume of Sydney Harbour. The majority of water was either sprayed on the garden, used to wash cars and driveways or to fill swimming pools (44 per cent), followed by bathrooms and then toilets.

• From July 1 2006 it will be mandatory in South Australia for all new homes  undergoing major renovations to have a plumbed rainwater tank.   No Government rebates are available

• Showers are likely to generate about 25 per cent of the anticipated water savings

• A standard showerhead uses about 15 to 25 litres of water per minute. A water efficient showerhead uses as little as 6 or 7 litres per minute.

• A regular showerhead uses at least 120 litres of water per eight-minute shower. A water efficient model uses less than 72 litres or 40 per cent less water.

• Installing a water-efficient showerhead saves about 14,500 litres per household each year.

• Gas hot water costs for a standard showerhead are around $1,500 over ten years. Gas hot water costs for a water-efficient shower head are only $790 over ten years or a 47 per cent reduction.

Greywater

• is made up of the wastewater from our showers, baths, hand basins, laundry tubs, washing machines, dishwashers and kitchen sinks.

• does not include water from toilets

• Used appropriately, greywater can keep gardens thriving throughout the drought.

• A four person house can generate between 100 and 425 litres of greywater for garden use per day.

• A two person house can generate between 60 and 225 litres of greywater per day.
  
  

Clothes washing machines

• A water efficient washing machine uses one-third the water of an older model.

• By 2016 we could save about 25,600 megalitres of water per year—enough to fill 12,500 Olympic swimming pools every 12 months.

• This represents a reduction of about 8.8 per cent in the water consumption of the clothes washers sold between 2003 and 2016.

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Dishwashers

• By 2016 efficient dishwashers could save nearly 1,200 megalitres per annum in national dishwasher water consumption—enough water to fill 600 Olympic swimming pools each year.

• This represents a reduction of about 6.5 per cent in the water consumption of the dishwashers sold between 2003 and 2016

Toilets

• About 22 per cent of the anticipated water savings can come from toilets (lavatory equipment)

• An old-style single flush toilet can use up to 12 litres of water in one flush. More water efficient dual flush toilets average less than four litres.

• A single flush toilet costs around $760 over ten years to operate. A water-efficient dual flush cistern costs around $250 over ten years to operate or a 67 per cent reduction.

• Replacing a traditional single flush toilet with a water efficient dual flush toilet saves about 51 litres per person per day.

• Using a water efficient dual flush toilet reduces household water use by around 1,000 litres per household per year

Urinals can save water because:

• The average urinal uses about 2.2 litres per flush. The most efficient urinals reduce flush volumes to 1.5 litres per flush, a reduction of more than 30 per cent.

• The Scheme will encourage more urinals with 'smart controls' to reduce unnecessary flushing.

• The potential water savings from using the most efficient urinals combined with smart controls could approach 40-50 per cent.

Tap equipment

• Typical taps discharge 15 to 18 litres per minute.

• Low-flow and aerating models may use as little as 2 litres per minute depending on the intended application.

Tasmanian Government's SMART Farming Water Initiative

• The Tasmanian Government's SMART Farming Water Initiative provides $3.1 million over the next four years (2006/7 - 2009/10) for a multi-focussed approach to shore up existing water supplies for irrigated agriculture and to achieve reliable and sustainable additional irrigation supplies.

• According to independent analysis, an additional 150,000 megalitres per annum of irrigation water (a 40% increase on existing levels) will be required in 2015 to meet the 10 year growth forecasts for agriculture.

• The Hobart City Council is aiming to reduce its water consumption by 10%. Success would mean saving more than 20 megalitres of water a week (just think of 20 million milk cartons full of water).
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