Saving water in the home

We use the most water at home – in the bathroom and kitchen – which means this is where we can do the most to save water. Have a look at our top tips – it’s easy to see how the volume soon mounts up!

Turning the tap off when brushing your teeth or shaving saves up to six litres every minute
If you have a dual flush toilet, use the small flush when possible and check if the cistern is leaking down the back of the pan between flushes – this wastes on average 400 litres a day
Take a four-minute shower rather than filling up the bath which uses around 100 litres of water
Make sure washing machines and dishwashers run on a full load as half load settings use more than half the amount of water and energy. You also don’t need to rinse dishes before they go in the dishwasher – simply scrape food into the bin which keeps sewers clear too
Fix dripping taps – usually a new washer is all you’ll need
Use the plug or a bowl to wash dishes or vegetables so you don’t need to leave the tap running

GetWaterFit

By using the GetWaterFit calculator you can see how much water you use and what you can save. Within a few minutes it will create a personalised dashboard for your home, with ideas on how to save water, energy and money. You can also use the platform to order from a whole range of free water saving devices. From eco shower heads to shower timers and tap aerators, little changes can add up to make a big difference.

Finding and fixing leaks

About a third of all water lost through leaks escapes from customers’ pipework but we can help with finding and fixing leaks.

Did you know:

A leaky tap can waste around 4 litres of water per day, which is a huge 1,424 litres of water per year!
Between 5% and 8% of toilets are leaking and each one can waste between 215 and 400 litres of clean drinking water on average every day
Fixing leaky loos could contribute around 10% of the additional water capacity needed to cope with an extreme drought in England by 2050

Help with leaks

Leaking loo?

Many of us have to deal with a leaking toilet at some point and it is one of those household problems that cannot be left unattended for too long. Below are eight possible causes of toilet leakages:

Leaking supply line - when joints in the supply line become loose or wear out, they allow water to seep through
Broken toilet tank - an accidental impact on the toilet tank may create a crack, which causes persistent leaking
Stuck flapper - this is caused when the flush handle gets stuck. While it remains stuck the toilet tank continues to fill up
Faulty connections - rubber linings used to ensure watertight connections can wear away over time causing leakage
Warped flapper - this is often referred to as the 'silent leak', as the flapper wears out over time. This wear and tear can be increased by cleaning chemicals put in the toilet tank
Faulty fill valve - accumulation of mineral deposits on the fill valve can cause it to degrade over time and it may fail completely
Faulty float - the float is a hollow ball that floats on the water surface in the toilet tank. When cracked or not well aligned it causes the fill valve to run continuously
Flush seal - avoid putting too many toilet cleaner tablets in your cistern. Over time the undissolved bits of the tablets can get caked around the flush seal and cause leakage