New Research Reveals How Queenslanders Use Their Water

Queenslanders run their taps for the shortest amount of time per day compared with residents in every other Australian state, according to a new report released today, on World Water Day (22nd March).

The Billions of Water Using Minutes report commissioned by not-for-profit The Water Conservancy was unique as it used a measurement of water minutes.

The research found Queenslanders run taps for 1 hour and 13 minutes a day, 15 minutes less than the average Australian, and 38 minutes less than those in Western Australia.

The Water Conservancy CEO Chris Philpot said 93 per cent of Queenslanders thought it was important to monitor how water was used at home. Only 17 per cent of Queenslanders, though, say they are more aware of their water usage than energy usage in and around their homes.

Mr Philpot said The Water Conservancy uses its research to develop education and awareness programs for the water industry, local governments, households, classrooms, and businesses to improve understanding about where water comes from and how to conserve more and waste less.

“We introduced the Smart Approved WaterMark nearly 20 years ago to certify water saving products and services to help people be more water efficient,” he said.

“Since then, we’ve expanded and today on World Water Day, we’re announcing our rebrand as The Water Conservancy.

“We are committed to changing people’s behaviours and raising awareness about their water use. To do that, we continue to certify water efficient products and services, and provide advice about saving water at home, at work and in the garden. We enable businesses to identify water savings with water audits and recommendations, deliver performances and workshops in schools and run the annual water awareness initiative – ‘Water Night’ during National Water Week in October.”

Mr Philpot said there were some key areas where Australians could improve on water usage.

“Our research showed two in every three of us will turn on the washing machine or dishwasher before it’s full and almost three-quarters of us don’t worry about positioning sprinklers away from paved and concreted areas. Only one in five Australians uses rainwater or recycled water in the garden,” Mr Philpot said.

Mr Philpot encouraged all Australians to consider how often they turn on their taps.

“We believe if Australians were more conscious of when and how they reached for their taps, they would be more mindful about turning them on in the first place and ultimately waste less.”

The full report can be viewed here.