Your home
Using water wisely means you can help save our most precious resource.
To help, we've given you a few tips.
Water wise tips
Find answers
- How can you save water if you live in an apartment?
There are lots of simple, yet effective ways to save water indoors.
Did you know that over 85% of all water use in apartment blocks is within your control?Where is water used in Sydney apartments? How can you save water inside your apartment? Showers - 45% - Take shorter showers
- Install a water efficient showerhead
Minor leaks - 14% or more! - Act quickly as most leaks get worse over time. Maintenance and quick repairs are key to reducing the cost of leaks
Washing machines - 10% - Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine
- Look for a water efficient model when it's time to replace your current washing machine. Front loaders use less water and are gentler on your clothes
Toilets - 7% - Use the half flush on your toilet whenever possible
- Check for leaks. Toilets are responsible for the most common, and the worst, leaks inside homes. A leaking toilet can waste over 16,000 litres of water a year!
- Install a new 4-star dual flush toilet if you don't already have one
Kitchen taps - 5% - Turn the tap off if you don't need to leave it running
- Check for leaks or drips and replace washers as soon as taps begin to leak
- Install water saving devices in your taps
Basins and baths - 5% - Don't overfill your bath or basin
- Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, cleaning dishes or preparing food
- Check for leaks and repair or replace old taps
Dishwashers - 1% - Wait until you have a full load before using your dishwasher
- Look for a water efficient model when it's time to replace your current machine
Individual apartments
If you own an apartment and you're looking to fix leaks or install water efficient devices in your home, you can contact our licensed plumbers through our WaterFix® Residential plumbing service. For almost 20 years, we've helped our customers save over 300 million litres of water and reduce their water bills.
Large strata managed buildings
If you're a strata manager or you live in a residential strata managed building and are concerned about wasting water throughout all apartments in the building, WaterFix® Strata may be able to help.
- How can you get a diagram showing Sydney Water's pipes and assets on your property?
Service location diagrams are plans created from our computerised mapping system that show our pipes and structures.
They show:- our water, wastewater and stormwater pipes
- a property's point of connection to our wastewater system
- structures or valves that help us operate our systems
- property and road information.
You can request a Service location diagram online at Sydney Water Tap in™ or from a Property Link broker.
If you're building, developing, or renovating, you may need to know about the Steps for first time builders. - How can you report a water or wastewater fault, leak or break?
How to report faults, leaks and breaks
We rely on customers to report leaks and breaks in our water and wastewater pipes.
If you've seen water leaking in a public place, such as on a road or footpath, please tell us so we can investigate the problem. If the problem is urgent, or you're reporting between 11 pm and 6 am, please call us on 13 20 90 (24 hours / 7 days).
If your request isn't urgent, you can also report a leak online.
How we assign priorities
We prioritise our response based on the:
- information provided when the report is made
- number of properties without water
- potential safety impacts on customers, properties and the environment
- amount of water that could be lost.
How we fix the problemA repair crew will visit the site to check the problem and fix the leak or break.
They may need to shut the water off to some properties while they're doing their work. They may also need to visit the site more than once. - How can pensioners get a rebate on their bill?
We provide a NSW Government funded rebate to help pensioners. This includes people on Age, Disability Support, and Service pensions.
You're eligible for a pensioner rebate if you own and live in your property, and have one of these cards:- a Pensioner Concession Card from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs
- a Repatriation Health Card from Department of Veterans' Affairs (also known as a gold card).
Your card must show one of these options:
- War widow
- War widower
- Extreme disablement adjustment (EDA)
- Totally and temporarily incapacitated (TTI)
- Totally and permanently incapacitated (TPI).
If you have one of these cards, own your property and live in it, please claim your pensioner rebate. - How can we help if you're unable to pay your bill?
We'll make it easy if you need help with your bill.
Simply call us on 13 20 92 and we'll work together to get on top of your bill.
We can offer you a payment plan or more support if you need it.
Learn more about how we can help with your bill.