Up to 10% of all household water consumption occurs in the kitchen for cooking, cleaning, washing or drinking.
Dishwashers use the most water in the kitchen, so if you’re buying a new one, look for one that has a high National Water Conservation (WELS) label.
A WELS dishwasher uses half the water of an average model.
Dishwashing tips
-
The dishwasher uses the most water in the kitchen. If you’re buying one, look for one with a five-star WELS (National Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme) label. The more stars, the more water you'll save.
-
Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load.
-
Use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher, if it has one, rather than rinsing dishes under the tap.
-
When washing dishes by hand, use washing-up liquid sparingly.
Other tips
-
Wash your vegetables in a container or under running water.
-
Remove food scraps by scraping into compost or a bin.
-
When boiling vegetables, use enough water to cover them and keep the lid on the saucepan. Your vegetables will boil quicker and it will save you water, power, and preserve vitamins in the food.
-
To 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 six litres of water per day. Put suitable food scraps into a composter or worm farm rather than down the kitchen sink.
-
When you clean your fish tank, use the ‘old’ nitrogen and phosphorous-rich water on your plants.
-
Catch running water whilst waiting for it to warm up. Use it to water plants, rinse dishes, or wash fruit and vegetables.
-
Insulate hot water pipes. This avoids wasting water while waiting for hot water to flow through and saves energy.
-
Make sure your hot water system thermostat is not set too high. Adding cold water to cool very hot water is wasteful.
-
New hot water systems allow you to specify the temperature without adding cold water.
-
Install a plumbing device that allows the cold water to be recirculated until it warms up.
