Why is my water use so high?

Has your water use increased unexpectedly, or have you received a higher water bill?

There are many reasons why your water use might be higher than normal, from hidden leaks and inefficient irrigation systems to increased household activities and seasonal changes.

Below are some of the most common reasons for high water usage, including practical tips to reduce your water use, helping you save both water and money.

What to check if you have high water use

1. Do you have a leak?

Leaks are the most common cause of sudden increases in water use. Based on our research, leaks can cause bills to increase anywhere from $153 to $1,800 a year.

Finding and fixing leaks isn’t just important for the wider community, it also helps your household budget.

It’s quick and easy to find out if you have a leak using our leak detection tool.

2. Irrigation settings

Do you know how much water your irrigation system is using? Irrigation systems are the biggest water guzzler at home, making up on average 28% of total household water use.  

Water can be wasted in various ways such as overwatering, watering areas that don't need it, evaporation and wind drift. 

By doing some simple checks, you could reduce your water use and save more on your bill.

What you can do:

• Check if your irrigation system is running efficiently.
• Inspect your sprinkler heads, pipes and valves – are they damaged / working properly?
• Check our recommended sprinkler run times to avoid overwatering.
• Adjust your irrigation controller for the season.

3. More people at your property

If you’ve had guests stay with you recently or have a growing family, your household could be taking more frequent or longer showers that are pushing up your water use.

To save water and money, try sticking to a 4-minute shower – find more water saving tips in the shower here.

4. New lawn or garden

You may be using more water if you recently installed a new garden or lawn. Find water efficient ways to maintain a healthy lawn.

5. Seasonal changes

Water use tends to go up during the warmer months. You can compare your water bill with the same period last year to see if your water use is similar.

Rainfall also affects how much we need to water our gardens. See our tips to save water at home and in your garden.

6. Installing new appliances or fittings

The addition of new water using appliances can contribute to a sudden increase in your water use. You can save water by choosing appliances that have a high water efficiency rating.

7. Outdated toilets & fixtures

Toilets account for at least 10% of your household water use and old plumbing fixtures waste a lot of water.

A single flush toilet uses 12L of water compared to a water efficient WELS 4-star dual-flush toilet that uses 4.5L (full flush) and 3L (half flush).

Think how much water you would waste if you had a leaky toilet?

8. Refilling or topping up your pool

Filling up your pool will impact your water use. If you find yourself constantly topping up your pool, you could be losing water due to evaporation.

See how you can reduce pool water evaporation.

Keep on top of your water use

To prevent high water bills, it’s a good idea to regularly track your water use so you can identify any changes to your normal water use habits.

If you’re a tenant, you can contact your property’s owner or agent to set up tenant billing so you can get your water bills sent directly to you.

This will give you more information about your water usage and also enable you to register for an online account where you can keep track of your usage over time.

Still not sure why your water use is higher than usual?

Sometimes it can be hard to find the exact cause of your high water use. If so, we can help.

High water use can result in much higher bills. If you’re having trouble paying your bills, we have a variety of financial assistance programs available.