Water is worth saving
SAVING WATER
Water plays a vital role in our daily lives, from drinking tap water to washing, cooking, cleaning or flushing, we use it virtually every moment, every day. And energy is used to heat water to shower, bath and wash dishes.
Whatever the weather, there are lots of simple steps we can all take in and around the home to save water, save energy and reduce your personal carbon footprint – it’s good for the planet and your pocket.
Thank you for helping to save water and protect this precious resource.
TURN THE TAP OFF WHEN BRUSHING
TAKE SHORTER SHOWERS
Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth & shaving can save 5 litres a minute and 7,400 litres a year per person.
Showers and baths use the most amount of water in the home (32%), and make up around a fifth of the average household energy bill. Knocking one minute off your shower can save over 4,100 litres of water and 39kg of CO2 per person, each year.
USE A BASIN TO WASH DISHES
ONLY BOIL WHAT YOU NEED
Remember to wash your dishes in a basin or bowl instead of under a running tap, or if using a dishwasher wait for a full load and use the eco setting to help save not only water but energy too! Did you know? A tap left running while washing dishes or fruit and vegetables for 10 minutes can use around 110 litres of water which disappears straight down the drain.
Save on your energy bills by filling the kettle with only the water you need, you’ll also save time waiting for the kettle to boil!
ONLY WASH A FULL LOAD
SPONGE WASH YOUR CAR
Fully load your washing machine and dishwasher and use the eco-setting where possible to save water and energy. Washing clothes at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees reduces your machine’s energy consumption by 57%.
Did you know? A hosepipe can use enough water in 30 minutes to fill five bathtubs. Use a sponge and bucket to wash the car to help save water.
USE A WATERING CAN
INSTALL A WATER BUTT
Using a watering can instead of a hose and water your plants early in the morning or late in the evening. This way less water will evaporate and more will go to the plant roots. Alternatively, you can fit your hosepipe with a trigger nozzle so it only runs when you need it.
Rainwater is better for your plants as there is more nitrogen in the rain which helps plants thrive. A small Scottish roof collects over 45,000 litres of water each year, that’s more than enough to keep a water butt topped up.
FIX LEAKY LOOS
FIX DRIPPING TAPS
A leaking toilet can waste between 215 and 400 litres of water every day. Between 5 and 8% of toilets are leaking, and it is most common with dual flush toilets.
Take our leaky loo test at: www.scottishwater.co.uk/WaterSavingAdvice
Found a dripping tap? A dripping tap can waste over 5,500 litres of water a year so make sure taps are turned off properly or replace the washer.
GET WATER FIT
INFO
How much water do you use? The average person in Scotland uses around 165 litres of water every day.
Find out how much your household uses at: www.scottishwater.co.uk/WaterUsage
Litres, carbon and financial savings in these simple steps are from the Energy Saving Trust. Assumes a semi-detached, 3 bedroom gas heated house with gas price 4.17p/kWh and electricity price 16.36p/kWh, unless otherwise stated. Correct as of October 2020.
TURN THE TAP OFF WHEN BRUSHING
Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth & shaving can save 5 litres a minute and 7,400 litres a year per person.
TAKE SHORT SHOWERS
Showers and baths use the most amount of water in the home (32%), and make up around a fifth of the average household energy bill. Knocking one minute off your shower can save over 4,100 litres of water and 39kg of CO2 per person, each year.
USE A BASIN TO WASH DISHES
Remember to wash your dishes in a basin or bowl instead of under a running tap, or if using a dishwasher wait for a full load and use the eco setting to help save not only water but energy too! Did you know? A tap left running while washing dishes or fruit and vegetables for 10 minutes can use around 110 litres of water which disappears straight down the drain.
ONLY BOIL WHAT YOU NEED
Save on your energy bills by filling the kettle with only the water you need, you’ll also save time waiting for the kettle to boil!
ONLY WASH A FULL LOAD
Fully load your washing machine and dishwasher and use the eco-setting where possible to save water and energy. Washing clothes at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees reduces your machine’s energy consumption by 57%.
SPONGE WASH YOUR CAR
Did you know? A hosepipe can use enough water in 30 minutes to fill five bathtubs. Use a sponge and bucket to wash the car to help save water.
USE A WATERING CAN
Using a watering can instead of a hose and water your plants early in the morning or late in the evening. This way less water will evaporate and more will go to the plant roots. Alternatively, you can fit your hosepipe with a trigger nozzle so it only runs when you need it.
INSTALL A WATER BUTT
Using a watering can instead of a hose to water your plants. Did you know? Rainwater is better for your plants as there is more nitrogen in the rain which helps plants thrive. A small Scottish roof collects over 45,000 litres of water each year, that’s more than enough to keep a water butt topped up.
FIX LEAKY LOOS
A leaking toilet can waste between 215 and 400 litres of water every day. Between 5 and 8% of toilets are leaking, and it is most common with dual flush toilets.
Take our leaky loo test at: www.scottishwater.co.uk/WaterSavingAdvice
FIX DRIPPING TAPS
Found a dripping tap? A dripping tap can waste over 5,500 litres of water a year so make sure taps are turned off properly or replace the washer.
GET WATER FIT
How much water do you use? The average person in Scotland uses around 165 litres of water every day.
Find out how much your household uses at: www.scottishwater.co.uk/WaterUsage
INFO
Litres, carbon and financial savings in these simple steps are from the Energy Saving Trust. Assumes a semi-detached, 3 bedroom gas heated house with gas price 4.17p/kWh and electricity price 16.36p/kWh, unless otherwise stated. Correct as of October 2020.
Up for a challenge?
TRY OUR water saving games
Test your skills at water saving with our fun online games.
Be it in the kitchen, garden or bathroom, there’s a water saving challenge for everyone.
pLAY a GAME
TAKE THE quiz
EFFICIENCY SEE THE SCOTTISH WATER WEBSITE
SEE THE SCOTTISH WATER WEBSITE
THE SCOTTISH WATER WEBSITE