Start Saving Water Today!
At Home
1. Install a 'water meter'. You will only pay for the water you use and benefit from any reductions in water use!
2. Toilet cisterns can use up to 9 litres of water with every flush. Order a free 'Save a Flush bag' from Scottish Water. By fitting this in your toilet cistern you could save up to 1 litre per flush or approx 2000 litres per person per year.
3. Convert your bathroom taps to a 'spray flow'. Spray taps can save up to 80% of the water and energy used for hand washing.
4. Turn off dripping taps. One dripping tap wastes at least 5,500 litres of water a year, enough to fill a paddling pool every week for a whole summer.
5. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, shaving or washing. This can save up to 5 litres of water a minute.
6. Have a shower instead of a bath. A 5 min shower uses about a third of the water a bath does.
7. Replace a power shower or one with a high flow rate with an 'efficient shower'. This could save a family of four around £50 off their gas bills and approx £75 off their water bills, if they have a water meter.
8. Use a shower timer and keep your showers under 5 mins. You can save between £5-10 a year for every minute you take off your daily shower.
9. Only boil as much water as you need. 1 cup of tea or 2? If everyone in the UK did this we could save enough energy in a year to power the UK's street lights for 2 months.
10. Wait until you have a full load before using your dishwasher and washing machine.
11. Use a bowl to wash fruit, vegetables and dishes instead of under a running tap.
12. Keep a bottle or jug of water in the fridge instead of running taps until the water is cold.
13. When buying new water appliances like dishwashers, ask about 'the water efficiency labelling scheme'
14. To identify award winning water efficienct products, look for the Waterwise Marque.
15. Install a 'greywater recycling system'. This system collects and recycles the water used in the shower, bath and washbasin. The water can then be re-used for toilet flushing, clothes washing and various outdoor uses.
In your garden
16. Install a 'water butt'. Your roof collects thousands of litres of rainwater every year. This can be collected in a water butt and used to water your garden and wash your car etc.
17. Use a watering can. In one hour a garden sprinkler can use almost as much water as the average person would use in a week.
18. Pour your unused water from glasses etc on houseplants.
Other
19. Wash your car with a bucket and sponge - a hosepipe can use up to 1,000 litres of water in an hour.
In Your Business
20. If you are a Business Stream cutsomer you can request a free water efficiency pack. Business Stream also provides a range of services, including a water health check, leak detection/repair and smart metering. Click here for more information.
21. Envirowise supports companies in Scotland to reduce their water waste, offering free, tailored one to one advice, site visits, online training tools and access to publications and case studies.
Useful Links and Documents
There are many useful water saving guides and leaflets available. Please view the current documents and links on the right hand side of the page to browse a few of these.