Water wise tips

We all need to look for ways to save water in and around our homes and gardens whenever possible. Here's 10 easy tips for your home and garden to help you be water wise.

To help save water, Water Wise Guidelines are in place across Greater Sydney.

10 easy ways to be water wise in your home

Keeping water cool
Keep water in the fridge rather than waiting for the water to cool from the tap.

Washing vegetables
Wash your vegetables and rinse dishes in a plugged sink or basin – not under a running tap.

Washing your clothes
Wait for a full load of washing before reaching for the detergent.

Taking shorter showers
Keep your showers to four minutes.

Flushing the toilet
Use the half flush and save up to 4.5 litres a flush.

Thawing frozen foods
Thaw frozen foods in the fridge or microwave, not under running water.

Using the dishwasher
Make sure your dishwasher is full before using it.

Plugging the sink
Use a plug in the sink. Don't run water down the drain, when rinsing your razor, brushing your teeth or washing your face.

Showering efficiently
Install a WELS 4-star rated water-saving showerhead and save on water and energy costs.

Checking for leaks
Check for any leaking taps and toilets around your home. Find out more about leak detection.

Find out more about:

water saving products for your kitchen, laundry and bathroom
how we can help with our WaterFix® Residential program- helping find and fix leaks in your home and installing water efficient devices
how our WaterFix® Concealed Leaks program can help when the water use on your bill has increased, but you can't see any obvious reason for it.

10 easy ways to be water wise in your garden

Choosing plants
Plant for the climate and soil in your area. Check out our plant selector to choose water wise plants for your garden

Watering efficiently
Use watering cans or trigger nozzles on hoses so that you water the areas that need it. Read the CHOICE Hose nozzle test report to learn more about hose nozzles.

Watering your garden
Water your garden before 10 am or after 4 pm to reduce water loss through evaporation.

Washing your car
Wash your car with a trigger nozzle on the lawn so that you water and fertilise the grass at the same time.

Weeding regularly
Remove weeds as soon as they sprout – they take water away from your plants.

Planting gardens
Group plants with similar needs together so they all get the right amount of water.

Watering your plants
Water each plant’s roots, not the leaves.

Mulching your plants
Apply 7-10 cm of mulch around your plants to help prevent water evaporating.

Cleaning hard surfaces
Use a broom or rake rather than a hose to clean your driveways and hard surfaces.

Covering your pool
Use a pool cover to save half your pool water from evaporating each year.

Find out more about:

saving water in your garden and pool
choosing garden watering systems
installing and maintaining rainwater tanks
using greywater.

Fixing leaks and breaks in the Sydney Water network
If you'd like to know how we're reducing leaks and breaks in our water network, read about how we're maintaining our water supply.

Save water by turning taps off when soaping your hands. It's one of the many ways you can easily save water at home.

See also

Find answers

How can you make your home more water efficient?
There are several things you can do around your home to ensure you're using water as efficiently as possible.

WaterFix^® Residential

WaterFix ^® Residential is a fixed price plumbing service we've offered for more than 20 years. Our qualified plumbers have helped customers to reduce their water use and save money by:
- repairing leaking taps, toilets and showerheads
- installing Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) rated toilets, taps and showerheads
- making existing fixtures more water efficient.
Find out more about WaterFix® Residential and our range of services.

Water wise tips

Our water wise tips are everyday, common sense things you can do around your home and garden to use water efficiently.

When you follow our water wise tips and use water efficient fixtures, you'll be well on your way to saving our most precious resource!

Are you following the Water Wise Guidelines?
Water Wise Guidelines are currently in place. They apply to everyone in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. This includes both residents and businesses.

By following the Water Wise Guidelines, you'll help use water wisely.

Learn more
What can you do if you don't think you've used as much water as shown on your bill?
If you've just received your bill and feel the water usage charge is too high, there are a few things you can do.

Check your meter reading is accurate

Firstly, check the meter reading on your bill is correct. To do this, read the black numbers on your meter, then check the second page of your bill. If the numbers on the meter are a little higher than 'This Reading' (to allow for the difference between when we read the meter and when you received your bill), the reading is correct.

If the number on your meter is lower than 'This Reading' on your bill, please call us on 13 20 92 with the correct reading. We'll update your bill with the correct details.

Check for leaks

If the meter reading is correct, you may wish to do a simple test to check your home for leaks. Find out more about leak detection.

It's also a good idea to consider any possible reasons for an increase in water use. For example, you may have:
- changed your outdoor watering because of new turf and gardens, or hotter weather
- had extra people staying at your property
- filled a swimming pool
- changed a hot water system or other plumbing appliances.
Request a WaterFix® Concealed Leaks appointment

If the water usage on your water bill has increased, but you can't see a leak, you might need our WaterFix® Concealed Leaks service.

Our specialist team will be able to help identify leaks that are hard to find. WaterFix® Concealed Leaks comes with a market leading guarantee – if we don’t find a leak, the service is free.

Find out more about WaterFix® Concealed Leaks.

Request a water meter test

If you still think your water use is unreasonably high, you can pay to request a water meter test. We suggest this as a last resort, as meters are found to be accurate 80-90% of the time.

If the meter is found to be faulty, we'll adjust your water use charge and refund the meter test fee. If the meter is recording accurately, we won't refund the test fee.
What are the Water Wise Guidelines?

Water Wise Guidelines are simple, common sense actions about the way we use drinking water outside.

The NSW Government has announced that Water Wise Guidelines have replaced water restrictions and apply to everyone in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. This includes all residents and businesses.

If we all do our bit and save a little, it will make a big difference across Greater Sydney.

Find out more about Water Wise Guidelines.
When is the desalination plant turned on?
Sydney’s water supply is secured through the 2017 Metropolitan Water Plan. The plan is designed to ensure there’s enough water to meet the needs of the people and environment of Greater Sydney now - and in the future.

The desalination plant at Kurnell can provide up to 15% of our drinking water needs when total dam storage levels fall below 60%. This is the trigger to commence restart procedures.

The plant restarted on 27 January 2019 when Sydney’s total dam storage level dropped below 60%. The plant reached full production at the end of July 2019 and produced an average of 250 million litres a day until 26 March 2020.

Since 27 March 2020, the desalination plant has been operating at reduced capacity.

The extreme wet weather in March 2021 created a risk of poor water quality from the dams, so the plant needed to increase its production. Keeping the desalination plant running reduces the pressure on our treatment plants and ensures we continue to deliver high-quality drinking water for Greater Sydney.

Find out more about desalination.
How does the introduction of desalination impact you?
Water from the desalination plant must meet the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and Sydney Water's standards. This means desalinated water matches our existing water quality, which is among the best in the world.

The desalination plant can provide up to 15% of greater Sydney's drinking water needs.

In line with the Metropolitan Water Plan, the plant restarted on 27 January 2019, when Sydney's total dam storage dropped below 60%. The plant reached full production at the end of July (supplying 250 megalitres of water a day), two months ahead of schedule.

This had a minimal impact on your bill.
- From 1 July 2019, our water service charges increased by about $7 a year.
- From 1 October 2019 to 26 March 2020, our water usage charge increased from $2.11 to $2.24 a kilolitre.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW (IPART) determined these prices. From 27 March 2020, the usage charge returned to $2.11 a kilolitre as the plant was no longer operating as a drought measure.

Is the plant still operating?

Since 27 March 2020, the desalination plant has been operating at reduced capacity. This will continue for at least 12 months.

Keeping the plant running at reduced capacity will help:
- ensure Greater Sydney has a flexible water supply
- maintain drinking water quality as there's an ongoing risk due to bushfire ash and sediment that washed into the water storages during heavy rain in February and July 2020.
We expect that keeping the plant running for a year will cost the average household up to $10 more in total compared to turning the plant off completely.

Find out if your property is in an area that receives water from the desalination plant.

Water calculator

Do you use more water in the bathroom, the kitchen or the garden? Hunter Water has developed a simple calculator to help you understand where you're using water - and what you can do to save it!

Find out now

Water wise tips

10 easy ways to be water wise in your home

Find out more about:

10 easy ways to be water wise in your garden

Find out more about:

WaterFix® Residential

Water wise tips

Check your meter reading is accurate

Check for leaks

Request a WaterFix® Concealed Leaks appointment

Request a water meter test

Is the plant still operating?

WaterFix^® Residential