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Brief guide to water savingSource: Australian Conservation Foundation's "GreenHome Guide" In this article: 1. Water saving tips Complete the short water usage survey today. 1. Water saving tipsMulch your garden and reuse greywater A quarter of our household water is used outdoors on the garden or lawn. By spreading mulch over your soil, you can reduce the amount of water wasted through evaporation by around 70%. . Make mulch from leaves, grass clippings, newspapers, bark or just about any other organic matter or buy it from a nursery or garden supplier. Your plants don't need drinking quality water like you do, so reuse water from the laundry and the bathroom. A bucket in the shower and a hose from the washing machine is a good start, or get your plumber to install a greywater diverter. Prevent water dripping A dripping tap can waste over 20,000 litres of water a year and usually means that a washer needs replacing. This is simple to fix ... all you need is a tap spanner and a replacement washer. A leaky toilet that is constantly hissing can waste up to 100,000 litres a year. Fixing a leaking toilet can be a bit tricky, so contact a licensed plumber. Instal dual-flush toilets and water efficient appliances. A half flush uses 3 litres, full flush just 4.5 in the latest water-efficient models, much less than an old standard cistern which uses 11 litres - and unless your toilet is plumbed into your rainwater tank or greywater system, this is treated drinking water from our dams being flushed down your toilet. Choose a dual flush toilet with at least a four-star water efficiency rating and save 28,000- 42,000 litres per year or $35-$53 from your water bill. If you’re stuck with a single flush toilet, you can still save water. Place two 2-litre plastic bottles filled with water in the cistern to displace water and reduce the flush to 7 litres, or install a flush regulator that stops flushing when you do. Water-efficient appliances: when you buy a washing machine or dishwasher, check the water efficiency star rating ... the more stars, the more water efficient. An old washing machine wastes 50-100 litres every wash. Rebates are available for new machines 4-stars or better, for more information see www. sydneywater.com.au/SavingWater/WashingMachineRebate. Instal water-efficient showerheads and aerators For as little as $20, you can save as much as $100 on your water bill: efficient shower heads (three stars or more) use only 7-9 litres per minute while traditional showerheads use 20-30 litres! Make sure your taps have aerators fitted (you can buy them from hardware or plumbing shops). They simply screw on, cost as little as $5 and cut your tap flow in half by mixing in air to maintain pressure. Remember you can still waste a lot of water even under an efficient showerhead - save some water by limiting your shower time. The single biggest water saver you can buy is a rainwater tank. Your roof is more efficient than a dry dam catchment, and will collect water from the smallest rain shower. A tank for the garden will help keep things green when water restrictions stop you using mains water, but much more water can be saved by connecting the tank to the toilet, laundry and hot water systems, or the whole house. Tanks come in all shapes and sizes, fitting along walls or under floors if space is tight. Prices start around $700 and rebates can cut the cost of saving water in half. For more information on rainwater tanks talk to a Green plumber or Enviro plumber. Register for a free DIY Water Saving Kit Sydney Water is offering a free Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Water Saving Kit to every household in Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. Save up to $50 a year on your water and energy bills by completing the online registration to receive your Free DIY Water Saving Kit. Follow the easy instructions and install the provided aerators for your bathroom and kitchen taps and flow regulators for your showerhead. 2. Mind the water restrictionsLevel 3 water restrictions apply across Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains: Recycled water, bore water and water used for testing fire systems, fire fighting and related activities are excluded from restrictions. A fine of $220 applies for all breaches of Level 3 restrictions by individuals. The Water Restrictions Patrol is carrying out random audits to ensure compliance with the new exemption conditions. Corporations now face a fine of $550 for each breach. Fines for water theft have risen to $2,200. The following are still permitted at any time: 3. Further water saving resources
We hope this information will help you help the environment - if you want to help even more fill in this national water usage survey and help us to tell government and commerce how to help us all use less water. It will take less than 4 minutes! Complete the short water usage survey today. DISCLAIMER: Information on this Internet site should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional legal and financial advice or reference to the actual legislation, specifically, the Estate Agents Act 1980, the Sale of Land Act 1962 and associated regulations . The financial information provided it is indicative only and should be qualified with the appropriate providers. More information or helpFor confidential assistance with your home loan or to talk to your local mortgage broker, call us at any time on 13 LOAN or call our direct line on +61 2 9249 3739. |
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