A new program for low income households sets a high target for water reduction
An extension of our showerhead exchange program, the Water Wise For Life Home Water Audit and Retrofit program was trialled across almost 2,000 homes in Sunshine, St Albans and Brooklyn and offered eligible households a free water efficiency audit of their home by a licensed plumber. Eligible households were those who owned their own homes and held a health card and/or pensioner concession card.
Following the audit, the plumber installed water saving fittings such as water efficient showerheads, cistern weights and flow restrictors for taps. The plumber also found and repaired minor leaks where needed.
During these audits, we swapped 1,743 showerheads, repaired more than 3,800 indoor and outdoor leaks and installed 2,682 tap aerators.
Thanks to the combined efforts of our plumbers and customers, more than 20 million litres of water was saved.
The program has not only proven to be a great way to help low income households reduce their water use and save money on their water bills, it also assisted pensioners who found it difficult to swap showerheads or install flow restrictors themselves.
The cost of the audit was met by City West Water so that customers were not out of pocket. We appreciate the support of the State Government’s Water Smart Garden and Home Rebate Scheme which enabled $50 (approximately 1/3) of the cost of the retrofit to be covered.