How much water does your shower, toilet, bath etc. use?

The table below shows estimates of typical water consumption for common household uses.

Average Consumption Table

Shower	Old Showerhead Efficient Showerhead	17 litres per minute 8 litres per minute
Toilet	Single Flush Dual Half Flush Dual Full Flush	12 litres 3 litres 6 litres
Bath	Half full Full	80 litres average 140 litres average
Bathroom	Brushing teeth/shaving with tap running Brushing teeth/shaving with tap off Hand basin	5 litres per minute 1 litre per minute 5 litres
Kitchen	Washing dishes by hand (one meal) Old dishwasher Modern dishware Garbage disposal	18 litres 60 litres 18 litres 10 litres
Laundry	Modern front loader Top loader Twin tub	60 litres 150 litres 70 litres
Garden	Sprinkler Washing car with a hose Hosing driveway Average size swimming pool	1000 litres per hour 200 litres per 12 minutes 75 litres per 5 minutes 20,000 to 40,000 litres
Leaks	Dripping tap Leaking Leaking toilet	30 to 150 litres per day 300 litres per day from a 1.5mm (1/16 inch) hole 10 to 260 litres per day

 *All figures are provided as an estimate

5 Ways to go green and stay green

1. Commute smarter

   • Walk or cycle to work.
   • Take public transportation and buy bulk passes to save money.
   • If you must drive, carpool or car share.
   • Choose hybrid rentals and taxis.

2. Save energy

   • If you're not using it, turn it off.
   • Enable energy saving settings on all equipment.
   • Unplug anything that still sucks energy even when it's turned off (cell phone chargers, things with blinky lights etc).
   • Plug equipment into power bars and turn them off until needed.

3. Live healthier

   • Choose foods that are local, organic and sustainable for meetings, lunches and catered events.
   • Get rid of toxic cleaners and personal products in your office kitchens and bathrooms.
   • Add plants to your workspace — they filter the air.
   • Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

4. Waste less

   • Set 'double sided' as the default setting on your printer.
   • Go electronic instead of using hard copies: phone and email, use overheads and power point presentations, get e-subscriptions, and use web resources.
   • Switch to cloth towels and napkins in kitchens and bathrooms.
   • Compost kitchen scraps.

5. Conserve water

• Ban bottled water. Use a stainless steel commuter cup.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap.
• Scrape dishes instead of rinsing before putting them in the dishwasher,
• Don't pour water down the drain — use it to water plants.

5 Quick ways to go green in the kitchen

1.Size Matters
When cooking on the stove top, make sure your pan or pot match the size of the burner. Using a small pan on a large burner wastes energy

2.Go Glass!
Cooking a casserole or a batch of brownies? Use a glass pan. Since glass retains heat, you can set your oven 25 degrees lower, which saves energy.

3.Clean Your Oven!
This may not be top on your to-do list, but cleaning your oven helps your food cook more efficiently, which will save energy, time and money.

4.Fill Up Your Fridge
A less-than-full fridge has to work harder to stay cold than one that's completely stocked. If some shelves are bare, stash some water bottles or rolled up newspaper on them to help maintain efficiency.

5.Take the Temperature
Keeping your fridge and freezer colder than necessary can increase your energy consumption and your bills. Your fridge should be set between 37°F and 40°F, the freezer between 0° and 5°F.