Welcome to the Hunter Water Website

How we are saving water

We know that saving water is something everyone can do, and at Hunter Water we take our own responsibilities for saving water very seriously – it is at the heart of all our operations and planning. We know that if we can save water - by the way we operate our network and by helping customers to save water everyone in the Hunter region benefits.

And there’s more too. We not only have a range of our own water saving activities, we also co-operate with important national and state programs to help the overall Australian water saving effort.

Hunter Water Initiatives

Loss Minimisation

Each year, Hunter Water spends approximately $3.5m on activities to reduce losses from the water supply pipe work. Some of the main methods we use to reduce losses are:
• Water service replacement (this is the pipe from the main to your meter)
• Water main replacement
• Active leak detection
• Water main pressure reduction.
These programs save over 1 billion litres a year.

Water Recycling

Hunter Water currently recycles more than 7% of waste water received for agricultural and industrial purposes. It is expected the percentage of recycled water will increase to approximately 12% over the next five years as new larger subdivisions are built with recycled water supply for outdoor use and toilet flushing and the Kooragang industrial water recycling scheme are completed.

Further information can be found here about Recycled Water.

TogetherTODAY

In April 2007, Hunter Water joined the TogetherTODAY program aimed at water and energy efficiency in the Hunter.
Partners in the program include Newcastle City Council, Energy Australia, Macquaries Generation, NBN, CSIRO, Department of Education and Training, University of Newcastle. Further information on the program can be found at:  http://www.togethertoday.com.au/

Envirosaver program

We participate in a free refit program by Fieldforce called Envirosaver that involves:
• Replacing old shower heads with 3 star shower heads
• Replacing light fittings with compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Conducting an energy and water audit
• Offering competitive prices for single flush toilet replacement and water heater replacement.
The Envirosaver program is expected to save over 1 billion litres of water. Further information on the free refit program can be found at: http://www.envirosaver.com.au/01_esp.html

Department of Housing REFIT

Hunter Water has partnered with the Department of Housing and Energy Australia to conduct a REFIT program in 2500 Department of Housing Properties.
The program includes replacing:
• shower heads
• tap fittings
• compact fluorescent light bulbs.

This program is expected to save 55 million litres of water.

National Initiatives


National Water Initiative

The National Water Initiative is a $2 billion strategy aimed at improving water management. Part of this project includes $200m for community water grants which are available for local government, school and community groups. Further information can be found on at:  http://www.communitywatergrants.gov.au/

NABERS

The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is a scheme for rating the energy and water efficiency of Australian buildings. There are currently rating tools for offices and residential homes. Further information can be found at:  http://www.nabers.com.au/

WELS

The Water Efficiency and Labelling Standards (WELS) scheme is a national scheme providing water efficiency labelling for appliances. Household appliances such as washing machines, toilets, shower heads, tapware and dishwashers must now have a WELS efficiency star labelling, with more stars given to the most efficient products. Further information can be found on our website (Water Saving Products 6.4.2) and at http://search.waterrating.com.au/

Smart Approved Water Mark

A labelling scheme aimed at mainly outdoor products and services. Only products or services that meet minimum water efficiency criteria can display the Smart Approved Water Mark. Further information can be found at: http://www.smartwatermark.info/home/default.asp 

NSW Initiatives


BASIX

BASIX (Building Sustainability Index) is an assessment process which is aimed at improving the water and efficiency of new homes and renovations. Further information can be found at on our site  and at http://www.basix.nsw.gov.au/information/index.jsp

Rainwater Tank Rebate Scheme

The Rainwater Tank rebate is part of the NSW Climate Change Fund. The scheme provides up to $1500 for installation of rainwater tanks. Further information can be found at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/rebates/index.htm
We know that saving water is something everyone can do, and at Hunter Water we take our own responsibilities for saving water very seriously – it is at the heart of all our operations and planning. We know that if we can save water - by the way we operate our network and by helping customers to save water everyone in the Hunter region benefits.
And there’s more too. We not only have a range of our own water saving activities, we also co-operate with important national and state programs to help the overall Australian water saving effort.

We know that saving water is something everyone can do, and at Hunter Water we take our own responsibilities for saving water very seriously – it is at the heart of all our operations and planning. We know that if we can save water - by the way we operate our network and by helping customers to save water everyone in the Hunter region benefits.
And there’s more too. We not only have a range of our own water saving activities, we also co-operate with important national and state programs to help the overall Australian water saving effort.