Beacon

Considerable savings can be achieved with a rainwater tank. A rainwater tank in Beacon’s Waitakere NOW Home® project supplied 55% of the home’s water needs. Rainwater is easily collected and ideal for laundry use, flushing toilets and outdoor taps.

When renovating or replacing old appliances and tapware, consider water-efficient options; they invariably cost no more than ‘regular’ alternatives but offer significant efficiencies. Collectively, low-flow showerheads, dual-flush toilets and water-efficient washing machines, when substituted for older, less water-efficient fittings and appliances, can reduce water usage by about 25%.

Of course, it is difficult to calculate a direct cost saving for most households as most do not directly pay for water by volume, although it is a substantial proportion of council rates bills. This scenario is likely to change in future, as pressure on the country’s ailing water infrastructure mounts and councils look for ways to fund the necessary upgrades.

Saving water: an ordinary family’s success story

By Lois Easton, Beacon Pathway

Our family (two adults and two kids) has always been relatively careful water users. Sure, my husband takes fairly long showers and the kids have a bath occasionally, but we’re water conscious and it pays off - literally.

The national average for water consumption is 241L per person, per day. That’s a lot! Last year our family used about half of this - 130L per day each. Because our water is metered, it also meant our water bills were considerably lower than the average for a similar household.

Reducing water consumption is simple. We never leave the tap running, even when brushing our teeth - it’s amazing how much water can trickle down the drain if the tap is left on, even for a minute. We also put a brick in our old full-flush toilet; this meant that less water was needed to fill the cistern. And, when our old shower head gave up, we replaced it with a low-flow option, which cost no more than a ‘regular’ fitting and still gives a great shower.

Apart from vegetables, our garden is planted in natives appropriate for our climate, so doesn’t need watering at all. We only water the vege garden for the peak summer season, and always in the evening so the water can soak in, and no more than twice a week.

Last year, however, we got really serious. When we renovated our bathroom we installed a water-efficient washing machine and super-efficient dual-flush toilet (which uses 4.5L for a full flush and 3L for a half flush). The results of these two simple changes are remarkable - our water consumption has dropped by a further 50L per person each day. 

We are now an efficient 85L per person, per day household. We’re saving $286.16 annually since our renovations. Based on the cost of our water bills the new toilet will have paid for itself in a year. (At $299 it was the same price as an inefficient model.) The washing machine cost about $150 more than a cheaper, standard model, but will pay for itself in six months and continue to return these savings for years to come.

And we don’t even have a rainwater tank!