Who uses our water?
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Australians are among the highest users of water in the world, and Perth remains one of the highest water using cities in Australia.
Western Australians have done a great job of reducing our water use over recent times and the community has become much more aware of the need to conserve water.
It is important that this trend continues to improve given our drying climate and need to reduce our water use to ensure we have enough water for all, forever.
Residential households are the highest users of public water, using around 71% of water supplied from the Integrated Water Supply System. This means that households have the greatest potential to save water.
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How much water does the average person use?
The average scheme water use inside and outside the home in Perth was 106 kilolitres per person - or 106,000 litres, in 2008 - 09. Out of this total:
- 52% is used indoors;
- 44% is used outdoors; and
- 4% is lost through private plumbing leaks.
Water use inside the home
Water use inside the home accounts for 52% of total residential water use. Inside the house, showers and baths use the most water (25%). Of this, 22% is used showering.
There are easy savings to be made here - each minute you reduce your shower time can save up to 12 litres! The average shower time is 6.7 minutes - by reducing your shower time to 4 minutes you could potentially save up to 9 kilolitres a year.
Water use around other areas inside the home are as follows:
- Toilets account for 9% of overall water use.
- Washing machines - 7%.
- Taps - 6%.
- Evaporative air conditioners - 4%.
- Dishwashers - 1%.
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Water use outside the home
Water use outside the home accounts for 44% of total residential water use. Irrigation makes up almost all of the water used outside the home, average use being around 39%.
Reducing the water you use for irrigation is simple and offers huge savings - for pop up sprinklers, each minute you reduce your irrigation time by saves around 130 litres!
The 2 other main areas where water is used outside the home include:
- Hand watering 3%.
- Pool and spa 2%
 | View the full Perth Residential Water Use Study (4.5MB) |
What about business and industry?
Business and industry use less of our scheme water than residential customers, but are still under tight measures to help reduce their use. Any business that consumes over 20 000 kL a year must submit a Water Efficiency Management Plan and set water saving actions.
Check out the videos below to see what business and industry are doing to reduce their water use.
Water recycling for industry
Adventure World case study
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Water efficiency measures for business customers and Government agencies |
