We all know how important it is to be frugal with water – just imagine if it all ran out! This is especially true if you’re living in the state of Victoria. These tips could make all the difference to the environment and to your pocket.

1. This is an obvious one to start with – don’t leave your taps running! If you’re brushing your teeth of washing your hands only have the water running when you need to. Running the tap uses up to five litres of water a minute!
2. When you use your washing machine or dish washer make sure it’s fully loaded, so you don’t waste water or energy.
3. Install a low-flush toilet so you have the choice of a long or short flush. Use what you need!
4. When washing your car use a bucket rather than the garden hose. The average bucket will hold eight litres compared to more than 200 litres when you use the hosepipe.
5. Wash fruit and veg in a bowl rather than running water. Use the left over water for watering plants.
6. Leaky faucet? Get it fixed! More than 20,000 litres per month can be lost from drip, drip, drip.
7. Install a water meter so you can keep an eye on your water consumption.
8. Don’t overfill kettles or saucepans; using what you need will save you water and energy.
9. Use your used bath water to water your plants.
10. Burst water pipes can cause serious damage to your home and obviously waste water. Keep on top of your pipe maintenance.
11. Invest in a water butt, you can collect rainwater for watering plants.
12. Have a shower rather than a bath; a five minute shower only uses about 35 litres or water, compared to 80 litres for a bath. However, if you have a power shower swap that round; they can use more water than a bath in less than five minutes. You could always invest in an eco showerhead.