Nearly half of all water consumed in the home is used in the bathroom. Twenty per cent of that water is flushed down the toilet.
Look for products that have a high WELS star rating. The more stars, the more water efficient the product. A standard three-star rated showerhead can save the average home $150 a year in water bills and can be purchased for as little as $50.
Saving Water in the Shower
Three-star rated showerheads use no more than 9 litres of water per minute, while old style showerheads use 15–20 litres per minute.
If you shower for six minutes, a water efficient showerhead can save up to 50 litres of water for each shower or up to 20,000 litres of water per person per year.
- Take shorter showers. Limit time spent in the shower to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. Shorter showers save on energy costs associated with heating water.
- Use a shower timer. Choose from a manual four-minute egg timer or a more sophisticated electronic timer that either attaches to the shower wall or showerhead, or is wired into the wall during construction.
- Use a bucket to collect water while waiting for the shower to get hot.
- Shave your legs before taking a shower. Use running shower water to rinse off.
- 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 three-star showerhead.
Saving Water in the Toilet
The new four-star rated toilets can save the average home up to 35,000 litres per year. These new toilets use just four and a half litres for a full flush and three litres for a half flush.
If you can’t afford a new toilet, you can purchase small gadgets to reduce the volume used with each flush of an older style toilet. They work by causing the toilet to flush for as long as the button is pressed.
Leaking toilet cisterns can waste many litres of water each day. Check for leaks by putting a few drops of food dye in the cistern. If you have a leak, coloured water will appear in the bowl before the toilet has been flushed.
