With the effects of climate change becoming ever more noticeable, raising awareness about the need to conserve water and use it more efficiently is increasingly important. Water Saving Week (12-16 May 2025) is a national campaign in the UK that highlights the importance of reducing our water use and using it more efficiently, encouraging individuals, businesses, and communities to adopt sustainable water habits. Organized by Waterwise, their website offers simple suggestions on small changes we can all make to reduce our water use, catch leaks, and find out more.
Making small changes like turning off the tap whilst brushing your teeth or trimming a minute off your shower can make a huge difference to your water use and could you money on your water and energy bills too. Take the pledge to be a water guardian today.
Did you know?
- ‘Though Earth is called the "blue planet," less than 1% of its water is fresh and accessible for our use.’ (Waterwise.org.uk)
- ‘Despite some of the UK being known for its rainy weather, much of the country faces water scarcity. London gets half of the annual average rainfall of Sydney.’ (Water.org.uk)
- It takes a lot of water to produce our cereal, fruit and other food. More than half of the 7 million tonnes of food and drink UK households bin every year could be eaten. Wasting less food could not only save water, but also save you £100s a year. (Friends of the Earth). Read some useful suggestion ideas on reducing food waste from LoveFoodHateWaste.
- Reducing water use will also reduce our consumption of energy, both from own heating requirements, plus from energy used by water companies to treat and pump water into our homes. About 12% of a typical gas-heated household’s energy bill is from heating the water for showers, baths, and hot water generally. So, saving water could also save you money on your utility bills.
How to save water
Could you be saving money on your water bills? Waterwise offer a free water saving calculator to help you to discover your water use at home: find out how much water you use, whether in the kitchen, bathroom or garden, and get some water saving ideas for your household.
Read some great advice from Waterwise on how to save water:
- In the bathroom,
- In the kitchen
- In the garden
- Through your shopping choices
- By being a leak detective
Useful links
Southern Water
Southern water's Affordability team can offer help and advice on water saving if you are struggling to pay your bills. Devices like tap inserts, showerheads and dual flush converters can all help. They also offer some great tips for small changes that you can make at home.
Energy Saving Trust
Read some top tips for saving water and energy here.
West Sussex Climate action
More actions you can take to reduce your water use.
Climate resilient gardening
Tom Massey, the co-designer of gold medal-winning WaterAid Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 demonstrates how beautiful gardens can thrive, even in the face of an unpredictable future. Why not start water saving in your garden simply by doing some rainwater harvesting with a water butt?