Save water when renovating

Renovations provide an ideal opportunity to save water around your home by incorporating water-saving design principles and installing water-saving fittings and appliances.

Design water recycling

Water recycling involves the reuse of mains water and rainwater around your home. You can design water recycling to:

• recycle storm water by collecting rainwater from the roof into a tank to be reused in many ways, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing and in the garden
• recycle grey water from household appliances and fixtures such as baths, showers, washing machines and dishwashers, to flush toilets or use in the garden.

Choose water-saving fittings and appliances

There are many appliances on the market that offer water efficient alternatives for shower-heads, taps and toilets. When renovating your kitchen and bathroom, choose products that meet the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS).

Tips for saving water when renovating

Choose the size of your rainwater tank to suit how you will use the water, the roof area available for collecting water, and your household size.

Select a green plumber with experience installing rainwater tanks.

Install a 'first flush' system to divert a small quantity of water away from your tank when it first rains. This will stop contaminants entering the tank.

Directly connect your rainwater tank to appliances such as your washing machine, rather than straight to the garden.

Install a pump to transfer water to your appliances.

Design a water efficient garden with native plants to reduce your water usage.