icosa water watering can

Reduce your bills

Saving water not only reduces your bill and saves you money, it also helps to protect our environment, the wildlife that lives in rivers and wetlands. Saving water also reduces energy – the energy that is used to treat and pump water. Reducing energy reduces pollution and protects our environment.

Water meter calculator

You can use a water calculator to see how different elements of your daily water use can be reduced to potentially make further savings.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) represents water and sewerage consumers in England and Wales. They provide a current and accurate water meter calculator for all water customers.

Please click here to find out if you would be better off switching to a meter.

In the home

There are lots of ways to save water in your home.  Here are a few tips to get you started.

  • Washing machines and dishwashers – Make a full load when you use your washing machine or dishwasher. If you can reduce by just one cycle or wash each week you could save up to 5,000 litres a year. Did you know that new dishwashers use less water than washing up by hand?
  • Chilling water in the fridge – Place a jug of water in the fridge for a supply of chilled water, rather than running the tap until it runs cold.
  • Washing vegetables – Wash vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap. Soaking vegetables makes them easier to peel and a running kitchen tap wastes more than 9 litres of water a minute.
  • Boiling the kettle – By not overfilling the kettle you can cut its energy use by a third. Only boiling the water needed in kettles could save the UK more than £1 million a week.

Boy,in,the,kitchen,with,a,glass,of,purified,water.

  • Washing the car – Use a bucket and sponge to wash the car, not a water-wasting hose.
  • Bath or shower? -A bath uses around 80 litres of water whereas showers use an average of 35 litres. Swapping a daily bath for a shower could save nearly £50 a year.
  • Shower savings – Electric showers are already efficient and power showers use lots of water. Choose a water efficient shower head to save water and energy.  Spending one less minute in the shower each day can also save £10 a year off water bills.
  • Cleaning your teeth – Leaving the tap running when brushing your teeth wastes 8,000 litres of water a year.
  • Flushing the loo –  Install a save-a-flush bag and you’ll save one litre of water each time. Flushing the toilet accounts for 30 per cent of the water we use.

In the garden

There are many ways to save water in your garden and we hope that the tips below not only keep your garden looking healthy but save you pennies as well.

  • If you can, always water your garden either first thing in the morning or late in the evening on hot summer days.  This will help to prevent the amount of water lost to evaporation
  • Did you know that you can weaken an established plant by over watering?  Their roots will remain shallow
  • Pick plant that are right for your soil and the aspect of your garden – if you have a south facing garden, plant flowers and shrubs that like hot and dry conditions and don’t need constant watering
  • Try to prevent any water that you use from evaporation – use mulches around your shrubs and flowers
  • Lawns can survive long periods of dry weather if the grass is not cut too short.
  • Invest in a water butt to collect water from your roof.  You can fit a hosepipe or use a watering can.

5,years,old,asian,boy,in,his,flower,garden,