Media Release

27 Sep 2006

30 000th Waterfix for Public Housing Tenants

Sydney Water has completed the 30,000th Department of Housing WaterFix, helping tenants save our most precious resource.

Over time it is expected water efficient devices will be featured in nearly every public housing home that Sydney Water services.

The Department of Housing and Sydney Water will each contribute $4.5 million to continue the WaterFix program.

The program is offered free to public housing tenants to encourage water savings.

The WaterFix program was first offered to Department of Housing tenants in Waterloo in 2004.

Due to the popularity of the easy and effective program, it has been expanded to provide water saving devices to a further 50,000 Department of Housing properties across Sydney, the Illawarra and Blue Mountains, bringing the total number to 75,000.

The WaterFix program involves a Sydney Water plumber installing water saving devices in residents’ homes and checking for and repairing minor leaks.

The devices include water efficient showerheads, flow regulators for taps and adjustments to single flush toilets to reduce water usage.

Household water use accounts for about 70 per cent of Sydney’s total water consumption, and with around three quarters of this being used inside homes, saving water indoors is extremely important.

The WaterFix Program is one initiative of a multi-pronged approach in the Metropolitan Water Plan, which guarantees the water supply for greater Sydney.

Each household that participates in the program can expect to save on average 21,000 litres of water each year, a reduction in their water usage costs of around 10 per cent and about five per cent on their energy bill.

The Department of Housing is educating its tenants on water conservation, with many water-saving tips and Sydney Water pamphlets inserted into the quarterly Your Home newsletter that is delivered to every Department of Housing household.

For more information on saving water, visit www.sydneywater.com.au

 

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