In the average Sydney home, it’s in the bathroom where almost half of the household’s total water consumption happens. This makes sense when you consider the fact that the bathroom is essentially a room all about water, whether it’s washing or removing waste. But just because you’ve got to use water in the bathroom it doesn’t mean you can’t call your local plumber and make some smart plumbing decisions to help save as much water, and money, as you can.

(image: Shutterstock) Caption: There’s no reason to throw baby out with the bathwater, but tossing it in the garden is a far greener option than letting it run down the drain.

There are three big contenders in the bathroom for champion of water wastage: the shower, the bath, and the toilet. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to reduce water wastage in all of these places, from simple habit changes to cleverplumbing fixes.

The Shower:

• Installing a Water Efficient Showerhead: If you’ve still got the shower head that was there when you moved into your house over a decade ago, then it needs to go. Old shower heads can use up to 20 litres of water a minute, while even just a three-star rated new shower head only uses nine litres of water a minute.
• Have Shorter Showers: As great as it may be to stand in the shower for a while, you really only need to be in there for a few minutes with the water running. Only shower for four minutes.

The Bath:

• Getting the Heat Right First Time Every Time: If you struggle to get the right balance of hot and cold in your bathwater, why not take a look at the thermostat of your hot water heater? The problem might in fact lie with it being set to high, so you have to use more cold water to balance it out. A plumber should be able to fix this for you.
• Reuse Bathwater: You don’t have to have your whole household share one bath, there are other ways to reuse bathwater to save water. For instance, bucket it out and use it to water the garden or even wash your car.

The Toilet:

• Update Your Toilet: A four-star toilet will see you saving up to 35,000 litres each year.
• Check for Leaks: A leaking toilet can cost you hundreds in water bills, so make sure that your water usage isn’t high because your toilet is always running.