Bathroom

Shower

Shorten your shower. Each minute you add to your shower time uses about 12 litres of water. For a household of three that extra minute costs you about $90 a year in electricity.
To help keep track of time, try using a shower timer. Contact us and we'll send you one for free!*
Consider installing a low flow shower head. Their clever design gives you the feel of a normal shower but can significantly reduce the amount of water used. Contact us to see if you are eligible for a free water efficient shower head**.
Don't just watch the shower warming up! Use a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up. It's easy to carry out of the house so you can keep thirsty herbs happy in summer.

*Free shower timer available to Hamilton City, Waipā District and Waitomo District residents only.

**Free replacement water efficient shower head available to Hamilton City, Waipā District & Waitomo District residents only. Conditions apply. Subject to availability.

A shorter shower saves water and power!

In this interactive quiz you have to move the parts of the bathroom to answer the questions and learn how much your household could save.

IS YOUR POWER BILL KILLING YOUR WALLET?

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Bath

When running the bath put the plug in first and adjust the temperature as the tub fills.
Reduce the depth of your bath. The average amount of water used for a half full bath is 80 litres, compared to 140 litres for a full bath.
Baths typically use more water than having a shower. However, did you know that a 10 minute shower is equivalent to a bath? If you feel like a long soak now and again, a bath may well be a better option.
Use eco-friendly products and then you can reuse your bath water on your house plants or garden.

Toilets

Check your toilet cistern doesn't leak. Toilet leaks are often silent. A continuously running toilet can waste more than 700 litres of water a day and is not something you can ignore.
Don't use your toilet as a rubbish bin. Only pee, poo and paper should be flushed, the rest should go in the bin.
Use the correct dual flush option (half-flush for liquid waste and a full-flush for solid waste).
Consider installing a toilet weight flush limiter if your toilet is pre-2005. This simple gadget gives you control of how much water is used each flush.
Stand a full 2 litre plastic soft drink bottle in your cistern to save water every time you flush. This can achieve savings of up to 5,000 litres per year.
When shopping for a new toilet, use the water efficiency labelling scheme (WELS) to help you choose. Just remember, the more stars on the WELS label, the more water efficient the toilet is.

Toilet cistern leak check

Don’t delay, check your toilet today.

Follow these simple steps and watch the video.

Remove the toilet cistern lid.
Put a few drops of blue or green food colouring into the cistern.
Wait 15 minutes. if the water in the bowl has changed colour, you have a leak.
Flush the coloured water away so it doesn't stain the toilet bowl.
A deteriorating washer in the inlet or flush valve is a common cause of water leaking into the toilet bowl. Either call a registered plumber or if you feel confident, fix the leak yourself.

TAPS

Turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth.
Rinse your razor in a plugged sink, not running water.
Consider installing water aerators on all your bathroom taps.
Turn the taps off tightly and check all your taps for leaks.