Why WELS?

Choosing more efficient products helps Australia save water.

By 2021 Australians could save more than $600 million through reduced water and energy bills by simply choosing more efficient products. By 2021 it is estimated that using water efficient products will help to:

• reduce domestic water use by five per cent or 87,200 megalitres each year; and
• save about 610,000 megalitres (more water than in Sydney Harbour).

Nearly half the water savings will come from more efficient washing machines, about 25 per cent from showers and 22 per cent from toilets.
By choosing to use more water-efficient products in the home, Australians will save water and reduce their water and energy bills.

Did you know?

• A water-efficient washing machine may use only one-third the water of an inefficient model.
• An old-style single-flush toilet could use up to 12 litres of water per flush, while a standard dual flush toilet uses just a quarter of this on a half-flush.
• A standard showerhead may use up to 25 litres of water per minute whereas water-efficient showerhead might use as little as seven litres per minute, which is less than a third.

Plumbing products

Showers

The WELS Scheme applies to showers intended solely for personal bathing as specified in AS/NZS 3662:2005 – Performance of showers for bathing. Showers generate about 25 per cent of water savings under the WELS Scheme because:

• a standard showerhead uses about 15 to 25 litres of water per minute – a three star rated water efficient showerhead uses as little as 6 or 7 litres per minute.
• a standard showerhead uses at least 120 litres of water per eight-minute shower whereas a water efficient model uses less than 72 litres or 40 per cent less water
• installing a water-efficient showerhead saves about 14,500 litres per household each year and
• gas hot water costs for a standard showerhead are around $1,500 over ten years whereas gas hot water costs for a water-efficient shower head are only $790 over ten years or a 47 per cent reduction.

Under the WELS Scheme a rating is given to a showerhead and any additional component supplied with the head such as pivoting arm, flexible hose or flow controller. However, additional components cannot be rated separately from the head.

Tap equipment

The WELS Scheme applies to any tap or tap outlet for use over a basin, ablution trough, kitchen sink or laundry tub as specified in AS/NZS 3718:2005, Water supply-Tap ware. WELS taps save water because:

• typical taps discharge 15 to 18 litres per minute compared with low-flow and aerating models which use as little as 2 litres per minute depending on the intended application and
• taps with an aerator or flow restrictor may reduce flow to less than a third of standard taps.

Flow controllers

Registration of flow controllers under the WELS Scheme is voluntary. The WELS Standard may apply to a flow controller as specified in ATS 5200.037.2-2005-Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 037.2: Flow controllers-For use in heated or cold water plumbing systems.

Sanitary ware

Toilet (lavatory equipment)

The WELS Scheme applies to toilet suites, pans, cisterns, flushing devices and combinations of these products, as specified in:

• AS 1172.1-2005, Water closets (WC), Part 1: Pans
• AS 1172.2-1999, Water closet (WC) pans of 6/3 L capacity or proven equivalent, Part 2: Cistern
• ATS 5200.021-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 021: Flushing valves for water closets and urinals-For use with break tank supply
• ATS 5200.020-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 020: Flushing valves for water closets and urinals-For use with mains supply and
• ATS 5200.030-2004, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products, Part 030: Solenoid valves.

The performance requirements for toilets include a minimum water efficiency requirement. The average water consumption must not exceed 5.5 litres per flush. The average water consumption of a dual flush cistern is taken to be the average of one full flush and four half flushes. This means dual flush cisterns of 9 litre full flush/4.5 litre half flush are the least efficient products that can be sold.

About 22 per cent of water savings under the WELS Scheme comes from toilets (lavatory equipment) because:

• an old-style single flush toilet can use up to 12 litres of water in one flush, whereas more water efficient dual flush toilets average less than four litres
• a single flush toilet costs around $760 over ten years to operate compared with a water-efficient dual flush cistern which costs around $250 over ten years to operate or a 67 per cent reduction
• replacing a traditional single flush toilet with a water efficient dual flush toilet saves about 51 litres per person per day and
• using a water efficient dual flush toilet reduces household water use by around 30,000 to 40,000 litres per household per year.

Urinal equipment

The WELS Scheme applies to urinal suites, urinals, urinal flushing control mechanisms and combinations of these products as specified in:

• AS/NZS 3982:1996, Urinals and
• ATS 5200.004-2005, Technical Specification for plumbing and drainage products – Urinal flushing cisterns.

The WELS Standard does not include waterless urinals.

WELS urinals save water because:

• the average urinal uses about 2.2 litres per flush compared with the most efficient urinals which use 1.5 litres per flush, a reduction of more than 30 per cent
• an increasing number of urinals have ’smart controls’ to reduce unnecessary flushing and
• the most efficient urinals combined with smart controls reduce water use by 40-50 per cent.

White goods

Clothes washers

The WELS Scheme applies to electric clothes washers intended for household or similar use as specified in AS/NZS 2040.2:2005 – Performance of household electrical appliances-Clothes washing machines, Part 2: Energy labelling requirements.

About 50 per cent of the water savings under the WELS Scheme come from clothes washers because:

• a water efficient clothes washer uses one-third the water of an older model and
• by 2016 WELS clothes washer could save about 25,600 megalitres of water per year-enough to fill 12,500 Olympic swimming pools every 12 months (this is a reduction of about 8.8 per cent in the water consumption of the clothes washers sold between 2003 and 2016).

Dishwashers

The WELS Scheme applies to dishwashers as specified in AS/NZS 2007.2:2005 – Performance of household electrical appliances-Dishwashers, Part 2: Energy labelling requirements.

WELS dishwashers save water because:

• the most efficient dishwashers use half the water of average models and
• by 2016 WELS could save nearly 1,200 megalitres a year in national dishwasher water consumption-enough water to fill 600 Olympic swimming pools each year. This represents a reduction of about 6.5 per cent in the water consumption of the dishwashers sold between 2003 and 2016.

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