Water efficiency at home

water saving

Water facts

Each person in Scotland uses an average of 150 litres of water a day.
With over 5 million Scottish Water customers (over 2.4 million households) we supply nearly 1 billion litres of water a day.
Toilet flushing accounts for around 30% of water used in the home and bathing and showering accounts for another third.
Only around 4% of the water supplied to your home is actually used as drinking water!

A dripping tap wastes at least 5,500 litres of water a year - in a year that's enough to fill a paddling pool every week for the whole summer.
Often a new washer is all you need to fix a leaking tap - check all your taps for drips and replace worn-out washers.
Running a tap whilst waiting for the water to get to the right temperature wastes a lot of water.
Fit insulation to hot and cold water pipes. This helps to keep the water in the pipes at the right temperature for longer, so you don't have to run the tap for as long to get hot water (or cold water in the summer). Insulated pipes are also less likely to freeze and burst.
You could also collect the water you run-off for use on the garden, watering houseplants or for rinsing vegetables etc.
If a pipe bursts inside your property it can cause a lot of damage and disruption.
Make sure everyone in your household knows where the stopcock is and that they can turn it on and off in case of emergency. It is usually under the sink, in the hall, bathroom or garage.
If you have a leak on your property please repair it promptly, using a SNIPEF registered plumber.
When buying new appliances, ask about water- and energy-efficient models. Look out for the ECO label.