How does your daily water consumption compare with a water efficient household

Statistics from the Queensland Government

Our contract for your building covers the responsibility to generate the hot water provided by means of our commercial hot water plant.
The hot water is supplied at a temperature between 55ºc - 65ºc depending on the type of system specified for your building.

IMPORTANT: Smart Energy Systems has not installed any hot water pipes, nor any plumbing valves or mechanical devices required for the correct flow and temperature of water to each of the dwellings in your building. Any hot water problems related to the aforementioned are not within our scope of responsibility, nor in our jurisdiction to remedy. (Similarly as the Water Board is not responsible downstream from their meter for faults such as a leaking tap, or Energex downstream from their meter for a faulty electrical appliance.) In most buildings to enable our clients to easily determine if there is a problem with the generation of hot water we have installed visual thermometers on our hot water plants which are quite easy to read. Although we do maintain, service and check the hot water plants on a regular basis, should the thermometers read less than 55ºc, please phone our 1300 303 486 number as this temperature reading would indicate a problem with our system. This number will go through to an emergency 24hr service number. If the thermostats are reading over 55ºc (which means hot water is successfully being generated), and you are still having hot water problems, you will need to contact either your plumber, or your property manager in regards to your plumbing problem.

1. Don’t rinse dishes or defrost food under a running tap, plug the sink instead.
2. Install flow restrictors in your taps as these deliver a preset water flow.
3. Reduce the amount of washing up liquid you use.
4. Don’t put too much water in the pot when boiling food and put a lid on the pot.
5. Use a washing up bowl and reuse it for watering plants.
6. Fill up your dishwasher before switching it on – an average dishwasher uses 35 litres per wash.
7. Install a sink swish to transform a straight stream into a spray – this controls water flow, reducing water wastage.
8. Install flood stop safety valves to shut off water flow if your dishwasher hose breaks or slips off – a cheap way to stop you house getting flooded and to prevent water wastage.
9. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth – a running tap uses about 16 litres of water. People who regularly keep the tap running while cleaning their teeth may use up to 14,000 litres per year in the process.
10. Rinse your razor in a plugged sink and turn off the tap when shaving – you can save more than 3500 litres per year.
11. Shorten your shower time – you can save between seven and 30 litres of water if you reduce your shower time by an average of two to three minutes.
12. Catch water that’s usually wasted while you wait for shower water to reach the right temperature – keep a bucket in the shower to collect it and use this water for your pot plants and garden.
13. Don’t fill your bathtub – only use as much water as you need.
14. Look for washing machines with the best water and energy rating – this can cut your water usage by 35%.
15. Choose front loading washing machines – they use 50 to 80 litres of water per cycle, this is about half the water top loaders use.
16. Only put on a full load of clothes washing and match the water level to the size of the load.
17. Divert water from your laundry, or grey water, to your garden.
18. Check for worn taps. A dripping tap might not appear to be wasting much water, but it quickly adds up.
19. Turn off your water heater when going away on holidays.
20. If building a new house, plan so that bathrooms and kitchen are together and locate the hot water system as close as possible to the hot water outlets. The shorter the pipe lengths the more energy you will save trying to heat the hot water.
21. Insulate the hot water pipes to reduce heat loss.
22. It is commonplace that household members trying to prepare themselves for the day find pressure on access to the bathroom. This becomes a determinant of the length of showers family members take. This is made more pressing if the toilet and shower are in the same room. However dwellings with more than one bathroom while able to reduce this pressure have the consequence that household members’ showers are likely to be longer.
23. The length of showers is also affected by the availability of hot water.
24. Shower water consumption increases as children reach teenage years.
25. A household with two members are not likely to use twice as much water as those with one member for cooking or clothes washing and dishwashing. Two person households consume on average only 67% more water than a single house.
26. More than a quarter of households in high-rise flats wash their dishes under running water whereas only half that proportion of those in separate houses does.
27.  1. An Off peak electric hot water storage systems cost approx $1000 to install, have an annual cost of approx $260 and produce 3700kg of greenhouse emissions per year. These systems are not usually installed into a high rise apartment. For apartments on general use electric tariff (Not Off peak) the running costs will be at least double this amount.
       2. A Five-star continuous flow natural gas systems costs approx $1200 to install, have an annual cost of approx $220 and produce 820kg of greenhouse emissions per year.
       3. A Five-star continuous flow LPG systems cost $1200 to install, have an annual cost of approx $350 and produce 930kg of greenhouse emissions per year.

                   

What is WELS?
WELS is Australia’s new water efficiency labeling scheme, which allows consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products. By buying more water-efficient products you can save money on water and electricity bills and help the environment.
The rating system is similar to the energy rating labeling, with six stars. The more stars the better. As well as a star rating the labels also show a water consumption or water flow figure.

Showers
The WELS scheme applies to showers intended solely for personal bathing as specified in ‘AS/NZS 3662:2005-Performance of showers for bathing’. Showers are likely to generate about 25 per cent of the anticipated water savings under the WELS scheme because:

         -  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 showerhead are only $790 over ten years or a 47 per cent reduction.

Clothes Washing Machines
About 50% of the anticipated water savings under the WELS scheme will come from clothes washing machines because:
A water efficient washing machine uses one-third the water of an older model.
By 2016 WELS washing machines could save about 25,600 megalitres of water per year – enough to fill 12,500 Olympic swimming pools every 12 months.

Dishwashers
By 2016 WELS could save nearly 1200 megalitres per year in national dishwasher water consumption – enough to fill 600 Olympic swimming pools each year.
The most efficient dishwashers use half the water of average models.
                   

Climate
It is normal for hot water consumption to increase substantially over the cooler winter months. In the cooler months hot showers and baths become more common and are of longer periods. Sometimes the length of showers is affected by the availability of hot water. A central hot water plant provides “endless” supplies of hot water. There is no longer a limitation on consumption in comparison to household and individual behavior normally associated with a limited supply.

Industry average for winter hot/cold mix is 30% cold to 70% hot. Just an extra 5 minutes in the shower using a shower rose of 20 litres per minute can add up to 100 litres of water, x 70% mix = approx 70 litres of extra hot water consumed. Spa baths typically take 250 to 350 litres of water to fill and therefore require larger amounts of hot water. Households with multiple bathrooms reduce the pressure for quicker showers.

On a cold day you will find many occupants will wash hands, face, brush teeth, rinse, shave, clean up, and rinse dishes, etc with hot water rather than cold. Keep in mind many occupants tend to spend more time indoors over the cooler months, which can also contribute to an increase in hot water consumption.

Appliances
Daily appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and even shower heads can dramatically effect daily hot water consumption:

"WELS: When choosing household appliances that require hot water, it is recommended that the WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling Standard) scheme Water Rating be considered, as an appliance with a high WELS rating will save water."

Bathroom
Typically, most hot water use occurs in the bathroom. The amount of hot water you consume will depend on whether you prefer to take showers or baths. Total water use in a shower can be calculated by multiplying the running time with the flow rate of the showerhead. Showerhead flow rates can vary between 6 and 25 litres per minute. Using a standard showerhead, a 10 minute shower will use 250 litres of water. Using a low-flow rate showerhead can reduce this to 60 litres of water.

"Tips: Shorten your shower times - cutting your shower time by a mere two minutes can save up to 50L of water!
Use water saving shower heads and check and fix leaks
Don’t fill your bathtub - only use what you need
Don’t let water run when brushing your teeth or shaving."

Laundry
The laundry is another room that places demand on your hot water system. A standard warm wash cycle typically uses between 30 to 50 litres of hot water per wash. You can reduce this figure by using cold water or using a front loading washing machine.

"Tips: Look for washing machines with the best water rating – this can cut your water usage by 35%
Choose a front loading washing machines as this can almost halve the hot water used. "

Kitchen
The amount of hot water you use in the kitchen will depend on whether you have a dishwasher and if so, how it is set up. If you wash up by hand, you will typically use around 20 litres of hot water per wash, in contrast with a dishwasher that will consume between 20 and 90 litres of hot water per wash.
"Tips: Don’t rinse dishes or defrost food under a running tap, plug the sink instead."

Swimming Pools
Studies have shown that occupants who have access to swimming pools, and inside & outside spas are likely to have higher levels of consumption.

Holidays
For many occupants holidays mean children are away from school spending more time at home, often with their friends. Holidays also bring visitors to the household, which in turn will often increase consumption.

Cleaning
Many households, especially in high rise apartments, have professional cleaners that may come in to clean once or twice a week. The cleaner’s hot water consumption needs to be taken into account on top of normal personal usage.
Also, some occupants are meticulous with their cleaning; washing windows, floors and spring cleaning on a regular basis which will also affect consumption.

Leaking Taps
It is quite amazing how the small leaks of a dripping tap can amount to a significant water loss. A single leak over a long period can waste thousands of litres. Always repair leaking pipes.