DID YOU KNOW?
Outdoor water use
accounts for 50%
of all water usage within the home;
Every load of washing
uses 17 buckets
of water; so wait for a full load before washing!
By using the half flush
button on your toilet you save up to
4 buckets
of water a day.
By installing a dual flush cistern,
your household can save
3 Litres
per flush!
Don't leave the tap
running while brushing your teeth, it can save up to
5 litres
per minute!
5 GARDEN WATER TIPS:
1. Wash your car on the
lawn so you water the grass at the same time.
2. Use a broom or rake rather
than a garden hose to clean pathways.
3. Remove weeds - they are
notorious water thieves.
4. Water the base of plants, rather
than the leaves.
5. Apply a layer of mulch
around plants - and reduce water evaporation by up to 70%.
What size tank do I need? - The minimum should be around 5,000 litres. Our advice is always buy the largest tank that you can fit in the available space; the larger your water capacity, the larger your rebate!
How much rain will fill the tank? - This is a simple calculation. 1mm of rain on every square metre of surface area results in 1 litre of water into the tank. Let’s say that your house roof is 12 metres long by 10 metres wide –
12m x 10m = 120m2.
If you had a very brief storm that dropped 1mm of rain on the roof, you would receive
1mm x 120m2 = 120 litres of rainwater into the tank.
A larger storm comes through and drops 25mm of rain,
25mm x120m2 = 3,000 litres of rainwater into the tank.
Choosing a tank - By installing the largest possible rainwater tank to harvest the rainwater that falls on your roof, you will minimise the impact of water shortages.
Water Catchment in Litres
*1mm of rain falling on
1m2 of roof area gives you 1 litre in your tank.
| Roof Area |
Annual Rainfall (500mm or 20") |
Annual Rainfall (1000mm or 40") |
| 36 | 18,000 | 36,000 |
| 50 | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| 100 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| 150 | 75,000 | 150,000 |
| 200 | 100,000 | 200,000 |
| 300 | 150,000 | 300,000 |
| 400 | 200,000 | 400,000 |
| 500 | 250,000 | 500,000 |
Did you know the average Aussie family uses as much as 300,000 litres of water per year?
Over 50% of this water is for toilet flushing and garden watering (see graphic). Rainwater could easily be used for these activities potentially saving millions of litres of water per year.
