Conserve water in your business

Water efficiency in your business you will save money and insulate your business from increased costs when the price of water rises.

Workplaces use water to support staff, and for various industrial and agricultural practices. Evolving a habit of conserving and reusing water in your workplace will save money and reduce our demand on this precious resource.

How to do it now!

Water efficiency can be achieved through a constant focus on addressing water leakage and overuse. The following tips should help:

• Install low-flow taps. Reduce the amount of water coming out of your tap. It is that simple. Available from any hardware store.
• Dual flush toilets. Installing a dual flush toilet will allow you to use the appropriate amount of water to clear the toilet bowl. Automated sensors can be installed on taps and toilets in high use areas.
• Install a water-efficient showerhead(s). You will save more than 12,000 litres of water each year and reduce your water and energy bills when you exchange your old showerhead for a new 3-star water efficient one.
• Invest in a high star water rated appliances. They are more efficient with water and energy. If you're about to buy a water-using product find out first how Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) ratings can save you money and help the environment. It's simple - the more stars on the WELS label - the less water that product will use, and the more money you will save.
• Fix dripping taps and toilets quickly. They can waste up to 13 litres of water a day.
• Recycle and reuse water in your business processes. If your business uses water in its core processes, then explore ways you can recycle “used” water back into the process rather than lost as waste. This will also ensure you don’t release chemical into our waterways and the food chain.

Why is this action important?

Fresh water is the lifeblood of nature. In Australia we oscillate between “just enough” water and “not enough”, and the price of water will increasingly fluctuate with this cycle as expensive de-salination plants are used to generate fresh water during droughts. Therefore, we need to ensure we use water in the most efficient way possible, enabling us to reduce the cost (financial and environmental) of using this scarce resource.

Environment

Almost every river and wetland system in Australia is under stress from human withdrawal of water. River Red Gums, fish breeding stocks and estuary systems are dying. The human need for water is continuing to expand in the face of this. We need to move towards being as efficient with our water use as nature is.

Wellbeing

Clean fresh water from the tap is, for most people in the world, a luxury. As the Australian water supply is stretched, recycled and sterilised at the expense of our waterways, we expose ourselves to toxic algae, chemically treated water and an increased vulnerability to severe drought. Many people across the globe are not so lucky, and a lack of clean water and associated diseases kills tens of millions of children each year. So water wisely, and conserve this precious resource.