Anglian Water | Home | Environment | Using water wisely

For the home and garden

Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

A running tap can use up to 6 litres a minute.
By turning off the tap you could save enough water for a nice soak in the bath once a week.

For a change, have a shower instead of a bath.

A standard 5 minute shower uses less water than a bath, but be careful a power shower can use a third more than the average bath.
Think about fitting a water efficient shower head or timer.

Fit a Save-a-flush device to your toilet cistern.

About a third of drinkable water is flushed down the loo. Save a litre with every flush with a Freddie.
If you’re shopping for a new loo choose one with a dual flush.

Wait until you have a full load before using the washing machine.

Washing machines use around 14% of the water used in the home so fill up or use the half-load button. You’ll save water, energy and detergent. The same goes for dishwashers.
Thinking of purchasing a new appliance? See our range of water efficient appliances.

Keep a jug of water in the fridge so you don’t have to run the tap to get a cold drink.

Wash your vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap.

Always remember to fix any dripping taps.

Get a water butt for the garden.

And collect around 5,000 litres of rainwater a year to water your plants with rather than a hosepipe.
We’ve got some fantastic water butt offers.

Water plants early morning or late evening, to prevent evaporation when it’s warm.

Use a watering can instead of a sprinkler, it’s more accurate.

Use a bucket and sponge to wash the car, rather than a hosepipe.

Check for leaks on the supply pipe to your home on a regular basis.

Cover outside taps and pipe work during the winter to prevent them from freezing and bursting
If you discover an external leak, take a look on our leaks on supply pipes page for advise on how to get the leak repaired.

Think about fitting water efficient products in your home to save water.

Why not use the on-line calculator to see how to save water and energy in your home. Or if you're a keen gardener our tips to save drops in the garden will give you lots of great ideas.

Instead of letting water run down the drain when washing vegetables, we collect it and use it to water our garden

C Hughes, Ipswich

You can also find water-saving tips and ideas at the Waterwise website