Australia is one of the driest inhabited continents on Earth, and water conservation isn't just environmentally responsible—it's essential for our collective future. With climate patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable and urban populations growing, every household can make a meaningful difference through conscious water use. The bathroom, and particularly the shower, represents one of the biggest opportunities for water savings in the average Australian home.
This guide provides practical, actionable strategies to reduce your bathroom water consumption without compromising comfort or cleanliness. From quick behavioural changes to longer-term fixture upgrades, these tips can help you save thousands of litres annually while reducing your utility bills.
The Shower: Your Biggest Opportunity
Showers account for approximately 20-25% of household water use in Australia—the largest single use of water inside the home. A standard shower head flowing at 15 litres per minute will use 120 litres during an 8-minute shower. Multiply that by the number of people in your household and daily showers add up quickly.
Upgrade to a Water-Efficient Shower Head
The single most impactful change you can make is installing a WELS 3-star rated shower head. These fixtures are designed to use 9 litres per minute or less while still providing satisfying water coverage and pressure. Modern engineering techniques like air injection and optimised nozzle design mean you won't notice the reduced flow rate during use.
Replacing a 15 L/min shower head with a 7.5 L/min model saves roughly 60 litres per 8-minute shower. For a family of four, that's over 87,000 litres saved annually—enough to fill a small swimming pool. Learn more about WELS ratings and how to choose an efficient shower head.
Check your current shower head's flow rate by timing how long it takes to fill a bucket of known volume. If you're exceeding 9 litres per minute, upgrading offers significant savings potential.
Shorten Your Shower Time
Even with an efficient shower head, time matters. Every minute less in the shower saves 7-9 litres of water. Setting a goal to reduce your shower time by just two minutes saves approximately 5,000 litres per person per year.
Practical strategies to reduce shower time include:
- Use a shower timer: Simple waterproof timers or smartphone apps help you track actual shower duration.
- Create a playlist: A 4-minute song provides a natural end-of-shower cue.
- Turn off while lathering: The "navy shower" approach—wetting, turning off to lather, then rinsing—dramatically reduces water use.
- Prepare before entering: Have towels, products, and post-shower needs ready to avoid lingering.
Catch the Cold Water
Most showers take 30 seconds to a minute to reach comfortable temperature. Rather than letting this cool water run down the drain, place a bucket in the shower to catch it. This "grey water" is perfectly clean and can be used for watering plants, cleaning, or flushing toilets.
If you're building or renovating, consider locating your hot water system close to the bathroom. Shorter pipe runs mean less waiting for hot water and less wasted cold water.
Beyond the Shower: Bathroom Water Savings
Tap Usage
Bathroom taps can flow at 15-20 litres per minute if unregulated. Fitting tap aerators reduces this to around 2-4 litres per minute while maintaining apparent pressure through air mixing. These inexpensive devices screw onto existing tap outlets and are one of the easiest upgrades you can make.
Behavioural changes also help: turn off the tap while brushing teeth, shaving, or washing hands after lathering. These small acts save 10-15 litres per occurrence and add up significantly over time.
Toilet Efficiency
Toilets are the second-largest water user in Australian bathrooms. If your toilet was installed before 2004, it likely uses 11 litres or more per flush. Modern dual-flush toilets use 3 litres for half-flush and 4.5 litres for full flush, offering savings of 60-70% per flush.
If replacing the toilet isn't feasible, consider a toilet cistern weight or adjustable float valve to reduce the volume per flush. Some households place a sealed plastic bottle filled with water in the cistern to displace volume—though this approach should be used cautiously to ensure adequate flushing remains possible.
Finding and Fixing Leaks
A dripping tap losing one drop per second wastes over 12,000 litres annually. A running toilet can waste even more—sometimes hundreds of litres per day if the problem is severe. Regular leak checking and prompt repairs are essential water conservation measures.
To check for toilet leaks, add a few drops of food colouring to the cistern. Without flushing, wait 10-15 minutes. If colour appears in the bowl, you have a leak that needs attention. Similarly, check under sinks periodically for signs of drips or moisture.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Water Conservation
Bathing Habits
A full bath uses 150-200 litres of water—significantly more than even a lengthy shower with an efficient head. Reserving baths for occasional relaxation rather than daily cleaning represents a meaningful reduction in water use for those who currently bathe regularly.
When you do take a bath, fill the tub only as much as necessary. And consider whether every household member needs to shower daily—for those with less active lifestyles or during cooler weather, every-second-day showering may be perfectly adequate for hygiene while halving shower water use.
Laundry Considerations
While not strictly a bathroom appliance, washing machines are often located in or near bathrooms and represent significant water use. Modern front-loading machines use 40-60 litres per load compared to 120-150 litres for older top-loaders. When replacing, look for high WELS ratings.
Regardless of machine type, always wash full loads when possible, and use appropriate water level settings for smaller loads if your machine offers this feature. Cold water washes save energy as well as being suitable for most everyday laundry.
Some Australian states allow simple grey water diversion systems that redirect washing machine water to gardens. Check your local regulations and consider this option if you have suitable outdoor areas.
Technology and Tools for Water Awareness
Smart Water Monitors
Several devices now available in Australia can track household water use in real-time, sending alerts when consumption exceeds normal patterns (which may indicate leaks) and providing detailed breakdowns of where water is being used. While requiring some investment, these tools can help identify savings opportunities and motivate conservation behaviours.
Shower Timers and Coaches
Beyond simple timers, some water utilities have distributed or subsidised "shower coaches"—devices that track shower length and provide feedback on performance over time. Making conservation into a game can be particularly effective for encouraging children to develop good water habits.
The Bigger Picture
Your Impact Matters
Individual action may feel insignificant against Australia's water challenges, but household conservation is cumulative. If every Australian household reduced shower water use by 20%, the national savings would run into hundreds of billions of litres annually—water that remains available for agriculture, ecosystems, and future generations.
Financial Benefits
Water conservation reduces both water bills and energy costs (through reduced hot water heating). A family implementing the strategies in this guide could realistically save $200-400 annually in combined water and energy costs—money that goes back into the household budget while benefiting the environment.
Getting Started
You don't need to implement everything at once. Start with the highest-impact changes:
- Check your current shower head flow rate and upgrade if it exceeds 9 L/min
- Set a target shower time and use a timer to track progress
- Fix any dripping taps or running toilets
- Install tap aerators in bathroom sinks
- Start catching cold warm-up water for plant watering
Each step builds momentum, and as water-saving behaviours become habits, they require no ongoing effort to maintain. Your future self—and Australia's water resources—will thank you for starting today.