Saving Water in the House

• Wash your vegetables in a container, not under running water. 
• When boiling vegetables, use just enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the pan. Vegetables will boil quicker saving energy and retain more vitamins in the food. Use the cooled vitamin rich water for pets, garden or potted plants.
• Avoid wasting drinking water from a running tap, collect it in a bottle or jug and store it in the fridge until it is cool enough to drink.
• Garbage disposal units use about 6 litres of water a day. Instead put suitable food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than down the sink. Your garden and the sewer system will thank you.

• When purchasing a new dishwasher, check the products water efficiency rating. Using a dishwasher is usually more water efficient then washing by hand if the dishwater is a 6 Star WELS rated model.
• Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load. 
• Scrape rather than rinse your dishes before putting them into the dishwasher or if it has one, use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher.

• Don’t rinse washed dishes under a running tap. If you have two sinks, fill the second sink with rinsing water. If you have one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse with a pan of hot water.
• Use washing up liquid sparingly as this reduces the amount of rinsing needed when washing dishes by hand.
• When rinsing dishes use a plugged sink or pan of water, save running the tap continuously.
• Flow controlled aerators for taps are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Don’t use running water to defrost frozen food, place food in the fridge to defrost overnight.
• When cleaning, peeling or preparing fruits and vegetables, wash them in a partially filled sink and then rinse off quickly under the tap, where needed.

• If you are in the market for a new washing machine, look for one with a 6 star WELS rating.
• Consider buying a front loader when purchasing a new washing machine. They are gentler on clothes, have higher spin speeds minimising the need for a tumble dryer, offer more temperature and wash options as well as use up to 70% less water than top loader washing machines, use less detergent and less energy which reduces greenhouse gases making front loaders more environmentally friendly. 
• Washing in cold water saves energy and may not compromise the quality of the wash.
• Adjust the water level to suit the size of the wash load; many new models will do this automatically.
• Always wash with a full load.
• Use the sud-saver option on your machine, if it has one when doing serval loads. 
• Find additional water saving strategies for the laundry here.

• Consider an instantaneous water heater if your current water heater is a long distance from the bathroom. We encourage you to consult a licensed plumber prior to installation, to ensure it will work adequately with your fixtures. 
• To save energy, insulate hot water pipes and avoid wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through.
• Make sure your hot water temperature is set no higher than 60°C. Adding cold water to reduce the temperature of hot water is wasteful.

A running tap wastes about 5 litres of water a minute, remembering to turn taps off, and fixing any leaks can save valuable water.  Here are some quick and easy tips to help save water when using your taps:

• If you have a dripping tap consider getting it fixed, it can waste up to 12,000 litres of water a year.
• Turn the tap off when brushing teeth, wet the brush and use a glass of water for rinsing.
• Don’t rinse your razor under a running tap, fill the basin with a little warm water, it's just as effective and less wasteful.

A dripping tap can waste up to 12,000 Litres a year. If the leak is from a hot water pipe or a pumped water supply, you’ll also be facing a significant energy cost. To ensure you are not wasting water, energy and money:

• Fix any leaking taps by replacing the washer. Information on how to change a tap washer can be found here. Alternatively, have the leak fixed by a licensed plumber.
• Check garden taps and hoses regularly for signs or sounds of leaks. Wet patches on the ground could indicate possible underground leaking pipe or watering system. 
• For more information and instructions on how to use your water meter to check for leaks, view Smart Water Advice Early Leak Detection Guide.

Leaking toilet cisterns waste litres of water each day and are often the result of a rubber valve deteriorating. For information on how to check for leaking toilet cisterns, click here. If you determine that your toilet is leaking, contact a licensed plumber. 

Customers are responsible for all water that has passed through the water meter, meaning they are also responsible for water leaks that occur on their property. It is recommended for customers to monitor their water use regularly by reading the water meter. The diagram below shows where Council’s responsibility ends, and the homeowner’s responsibility begins.

If you have identified a water leak on the property side of the meter, you are required to contact a licensed plumber to carry out the appropriate work at your own expense.

If you have identified a water leak on Council's side of the meter, please report the issue to Council’s Customer Service Centre on T 02 6578 7290. Common leaks at the meter to report are;

• Meter tap won’t turn off the water supply
• Meter tap is leaking
• Body of the meter is leaking
• Pipe from the main to the meter is leaking.

For more information, please visit Singleton Councils Water Leaks Website Page.