The first step to developing more sustainable water use practices is by assessing your current patterns. Here are a few average water use data provided by the City of Vancouver to help you start making more informed decisions:
In home water use (average summer day)
- average toilet water usage: 76 litres per person per day – that’s 30% of household water
- low-flow toilets only use 6 litres per flush (compared to older toilets that use 20 litres or more
- a standard dishwasher uses 57 litres of water per load; waiting for a full load before running the dishwasher saves water
- clothes washer uses an average of 150 litres of water per load – that’s 23% of household water
- showerheads dispense anywhere between 5.7 to 18.9 litres per minute, which means a 10 minute shower uses an average of 130 litres of water – that’s 20% of household water
Outdoor water use
- average usage for a household is 40% of the total water usage
- a half hour of sprinkling twice a week is sufficient for a healthy lawn
We can all do our part to help save water in our homes and gardens. From simple things such as shutting off the tap when the water is not being used to installing water efficient appliances, there are many ways to be more sustainable. The City of Vancouver also offers a water saver kits (pictured below) to residents for only $12 (limit 2 kits/household).
Indoor Kit
Outdoor Kit
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