Saving water not only benefits the environment, but can also lower your water and energy bills. To do your bit, follow our list of ‘Dos and Don’ts’ when saving on water:

• Use devices such as Interflush and HIPPO to significantly reduce the amount of water when flushing the toilet. At 9 litres a time, flushing accounts for about a third of our water consumption.
• Collect rainwater in a water butt, and use this to water your plants and wash your car.
• Insulate pipes before winter so they don’t freeze or burst. Our advice on preventing frozen pipes illustrates what else you can do.
• Make sure you know where the stop tap is in your house so you can turn it off if there is a leak.
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge to save running the tap when you want cold water.
• When waiting for water to heat up, run it into a jug and use it to water the plants.
• Only use the washing machine or dishwasher when there is a full load. The half load setting uses more than half the amount of water and energy of a full load.
• Where possible, take showers instead of baths. An average 5-minute shower uses 35 litres of water, whereas baths and power showers use around 80 litres of water.

• Don’t let the tap run – a running tap wastes around 10 litres of water every minute. Instead, brush your teeth with water from a cup, and fill the basin for washing and shaving. Likewise, fill a bowl with water when washing vegetables or cleaning.
• Don’t use a hose if there’s an alternative. Hosepipes use around 18 litres of water per minute - instead wash your car using a bucket of water, and water the garden with a watering can.
• Don’t let taps leak... a dripping tap can waste over 25 litres each day. Cut your water bill by replacing broken washers as soon as possible.
• Don’t flush cotton wool or tissues down the toilet. Instead, save on water by putting them in the bin.
• Don’t get billed for more water than you use. USwitch can show you if getting a meter fitted will cut your water bill or not – it could save you up to £195.