In General

• Make sure you don't have leaks. Find a two-hour period when no-one in your house will be using water. Check the water meter at the beginning and end of the two-hour period. If your meter has changed at all, something is leaking.

• If you have a leaky tap, replace the washer. A tap leaking at the rate of one drop per second can waste around 10,000L of water every year.
• Hot water will reach taps much faster if the pipes that carry it are properly insulated. This shortens the time you have to leave the tap running before you get hot water.
• Retrofit existing taps with aerators or flow restrictors.

In the bathroom

• A low flow showerhead use only 7L of water per minute. Old-style showerheads use up to 20L per minute.
• Don't leave the water running while cleaning your teeth or shaving. Use the plug to reserve a little water for rinsing instead.
• Don't let cold water run down the drain while you're waiting for your shower to heat up. Instead, capture the water in a bucket and use it to water your plants.
• If you have an older toilet with a large capacity, try putting a bottle filled with water or a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water used with each flush.
• If you're installing a new toilet, one install a new high efficency one that uses only 3-6L of water with each flush.
  Don't know which model is best? Check out the Region of Durham's test results.
• Even if your toilet is only leaking slightly it can waste many thousands of litres of water every year. An old trick is to put food dye in the tank and check the basin 30 minutes later. If the water is coloured, you need to check for worn or corroded parts.
• Try to restrict your shower time - five minutes is plenty of time to get clean. Put a timer in the shower if it's hard to keep track.
• Save baths for special occasions and don't use more water than you need.

In the kitchen

• Keep cold drinking water in the fridge. That way, you don't leave the tap running until the water gets cool.
• Don't use running water to thaw frozen food. Leave it in the fridge overnight or use the microwave instead.
• Using a dishwasher can be more economical than washing by hand - so long as you wait until you have a full load.
• Don't rinse hand-washed dishes under a running tap. If you have a two-basin sink, fill one with soapy water and the other with rinsing water. Otherwise you can use a basin.
• Put in the plug as soon as you start running water to fill the sink. Keep the water pressure low while you wait for it to get hot.
• Don't use water-hungry kitchen-sink disposal units. Composting is an environmentally friendly alternative.
• Wash vegetables in a basin or a partly filled sink - not under running water.

In the laundry

• Buy an energy-efficient washing machine. Front loading washing machines use up to 40% less water and 70% less energy.
• Wait until you've got a full load before you use the washing machine. If you do a half load, adjust the water level accordingly.

Tips For Reducing Water Usage In The Garden

• Water your lawn only when it’s needed. In summer, lawns generally need watering every five to seven days.
• Don’t forget that some solid rainfall means you don’t need to water your lawn for up to two weeks. Keep your eye on the four-day forecast. If there’s rain coming up, wait for the rain to water your garden.
• Don’t lose water to evaporation. Water your garden during the cool parts of the day – early morning or late evening, when the sun’s not in the sky.
• For the same reason, avoid watering when it’s windy. The wind will blow the water to parts of your garden that don’t need watering.
• How much water is needed? Grass in our climate, requires only 2.5 cm. or 1" of water per week, including rainfall to remain healthy. Get your FREE Lawn Watering Gauge From Durham Region.
• Rain barrels are a great way to collect water for outside watering.
• In the summer, your lawn will naturally look more barren. Don’t overcompensate for a dry, hot summer by wasting water to get a perfectly green look.
• If you’re using a sprinkler system, make sure the water is actually landing on your garden, and not the footpath, road, or your paved areas.
• Consider losing inefficient sprinkler systems in favour of drip irrigation. The advantage of drip irrigation is that it sends water to the roots of your plants. In all cases avoid watering leaves – focus on the roots.
• Soil takes up water best if you water in short, repeated bursts.
• Don’t install an automated system and forget about it. Check your sprinklers and timers regularly and make sure they’re working as they should.
• If you’re not using an automatic timer for your sprinkler, use an alarm clock or similar to remind yourself to shut it off.
• Don’t cut your grass to within an inch of its life. Setting the blade higher – to at least three inches – will shade grass roots as they grow deeper, which will in turn hold soil moisture more efficiently.
• An over-fertilised garden is a thirsty garden, so use it sparingly. Use a fertiliser that is not soluble in water and slow release.
• Aerating your lawn, even with a garden fork, will draw water to the root system, instead of letting the water escape as runoff.
• Consider giving your garden a makeover. Reduce the amount of grassed area with some hardscaping – paving, decking, gravel and stone beds – that don’t need watering.
• Spreading a layer of mulch – woodchips, and even gravel or stone – over your flower beds and around trees prevents over 70 per cent of moisture evaporation from out of the soil. Aim for a layer 2.5-5cm thick.
• The best type of plants, trees and grasses for your garden are those native to your local climate.
  Check Out Durham Region's Water Efficient Gardens .
• When you are planting new additions, prepare your garden properly. Use a good soil – with neither a high sand or clay content – as well as water storing granules and a surfactant, literally a ‘soil wetter’, to increase water absorption. Finally, group plants together according to how much water they will need.
• Never use a hose to remove leaves from hardscaping such as footpaths and driveways. A broom won’t waste any water.
• Buy a water-efficient nozzle for your hose, one that ranges from a high-pressure jet down to a mist spray - a trigger nozzle will actually let you shut off the water flow altogether. When you’ve finished watering turn the hose off at the tap to avoid leaks.
• Check your hose system for leaks on a regular basis. Don’t forget to check the connectors and nozzles as well as the tubing.
• If you’re considering putting a water feature in your garden, make sure the water will be recycled.
• If you have a swimming pool, upgrade your filter to a water efficient model that reduces the wastage of back-flushing.
• Cover the swimming pool when it’s not in use. This will keep water clean – reducing the need for filtering - and also reduce evaporation by up to 90 per cent.

Washing your car

• Don’t wash your car in the driveway. Wash it above grass, so it gets a drink at the same time. The detergent will also act as a surfactant for your soil, making it more absorbent.
• Use a bucket, not a hose.
• A more water-efficient method can be found at a commercial car wash: they recycle their water.