How to save water in your home
Discover the little changes you can make to your daily routine that will help you save water and money.
How you can help at home
Try these easy swaps to save water around your home. They’re simple, they save water, and they could help lower your bills too. Small changes make a big difference.
Shorten showers
It’s tempting to linger in a hot shower during colder months, but reducing shower time by 2 minutes could save up to 6,000 litres of water a year and up to £265 for a family of four on your annual water and energy bills.
Switch the tap off while brushing
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and save over 5,000 litres of water per person each year. That's a potential saving of up to £30 annually on your water bill for a household of four.
Check for leaks
Cold weather can cause pipes to crack or leak. Regularly check taps, toilets, and outdoor pipes to catch issues early and avoid wasting water. A leaky loo can waste up to 300 litres of water a day, so it's a good idea to check yours regularly.
A full load on eco mode
Dishwashers and washing machines often have energy- and water-saving settings — perfect for winter when energy use is already high. Running a full wash could save up to 2,600 litres of water and £30 on your energy and water bills every year.
Wash fruit and veg in a bowl
Roast dinners are back. Save water by washing your vegetables in a bowl instead of under a running tap. You’ll save up to 15 litres of water a minute, and you can then use the water for your houseplants.
Insulate your pipes
Lagging exposed pipes helps prevent bursts and reduces the risk of water loss during freezing temperatures. You can also leave your heating on low or schedule it to come on just a couple of hours a day to stop your pipes from freezing.
Why do we need to save water?
The South East is running out of water
We rely on water every day, but our population is growing fast and climate change is bringing greater risk of floods and drought.
All this puts pressure on water supplies and means there's less water to go around.
Thankfully, just a few small changes to your daily routine will make a big difference, especially when at home.
Water saving home visits
If you use more water than average in your home, we offer a free water saving home visit to help you save water and money off your bills.
The Unified Water Label
We've teamed up with DIY retailers, builders' merchants and manufacturers of bathroom fittings to introduce the Unified Water Label scheme. The aim is to help customers find water-efficient bathroom fittings such as taps, showers, toilets and baths.
The Unified Water Label was developed by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and is operated by The Unified Water Label Association. The Label follows a similar approach to the Energy Efficiency Label found on white goods and includes information such as: flush performance of toilets, flow rate of taps and showers and capacity of baths.
You can also compare the water usage of similar products using the online 'find a product' tool. When searching, look for products which score within the green band of the label, as these are the more water-efficient products.
Nearly a quarter of your energy bill is spent on hot water. So, choosing more water-efficient products will help you to save money on your water and energy bills.
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