Water saving appliances

Pointing out the water rating label on a washing machine.

In your home, the appliances that use most water will usually be the shower, toilet and washing machine.

Water efficient appliances can save you a lot of water and money in the long term. You can also make a big difference to Australia's overall use of purified tap water.

By 2021 Australians could save more than $600 million on our water and energy bills just by using more water efficient appliances and products.

More than a third of these savings will come from using more water-efficient showerheads, another third from more efficient washing machines and over 20 per cent from water efficient toilets.

You could be making some big savings:

Save up to two-thirds of the water you would usually use by replacing an old washing machine with a water efficient model.
Save around three-quarters of the water you would usually use in a full-flush toilet by installing an efficient dual-flush mechanism in your old style single-flush toilet. This can save you up to 9 litres every time you use a half flush.
Save around 18 litres of water a minute in the shower by replacing an old inefficient showerhead with an efficient showerhead.
Install low flow taps or tap aerators to reduce your tap water use from 18 litres per minute to 2 litres per minute.

See Your Home Technical Manual - Reducing water demand for more information.

WELS ratings

The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme helps you to compare the water efficiency of a range of products so you can choose the most efficient model for your needs.

WELS rated products can have up to 6 stars. The more stars the appliance has, the more water-efficient it will be.

The WELS labels also show a water consumption or water flow figure to help you understand how much water the appliance will use.

The number of stars can make a big difference even on low-cost solutions like showerheads. A 3 star showerhead might not cost any more than a lower-star product but you can save around $100 on your energy and water bills each year.

Rebates

You may be eligible for rebates or other assistance to help with the cost of buying water-saving appliances. You should also check with your water authority to see if they offer rebates on water-efficient appliances.

More information

See these resources about water-saving appliances:

Websites to help you choose energy and water efficient appliances include:

the Energy Rating guide website - lets you compare the energy efficiency ratings of household appliances
the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme - lets you compare the water efficiency of a range of appliances including:

Water saving appliances