Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards

Except building ourselves with knowledge of water saving and avoiding waste by reducing leaks, being water efficient through the products we use. By applying water-efficient products, citizens could not only contribute to the protection of environment, but also save money on both energy and water bills. In Australia, citizens could eliminate the water efficiency by checking the Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards (WELS) scheme, with the use of an easy-to-understand star rating scheme.

When picking out a product, it is necessary for us to look for the potential savings that come with a high star rating. The more stars an appliance has, the more water efficient the product will be. On the website of Sydney Sustainable Living, an example is give. If a tree-star rated showerhead is taken into use, people could save the average home $150 a year in water bill, with a cost of only 20$.

The owner of my apartment happened to change a washing machine for us last week, (since the door of the former one was broken…). In comparison with those two machines, both of them achieve 4.5 stars, but the new one may save one liters in each wash. That is to say, over 200liters of water could now be saved in one year. At the same time, the new machine saves 85kwh per wash. If cold water is used, the energy consumption may decrease by 52%. Thanks for the broken door.
      




Reference: http://www.sydney-sustainableliving.com/learn-explore-grow/saving-water/