Water-saving kitchen taps and mixers for the eco-conscious home
Despite being the driest inhabited continent on earth, Australia has higher water consumption rates per person than most other countries, according to the Federal Government.
Not only is this bad environmentally, wasted water in your household also means wasted money. In fact, by using more water-efficient household appliances and products, Australian households could save $175 every year.
So, where is all this wastage coming from? While, unsurprisingly, large appliances such as washing machines are among the main culprits, so too are our taps.
How to find water-saving kitchen taps and mixers
When buying kitchen taps and mixers, there are two main features to get your head around, if preserving the planet (and your bank balance) are a priority:
1. The WELS rating
The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme was introduced in 2005 as a nationwide initiative to encourage efficient water use in Australian homes. At its core, the WELS scheme is designed to help you compare the water efficiency of different products, so you can make the most eco-conscious choice for your home.
Products regulated under the WELS scheme range from dishwashers to shower heads to toilets and, yes, taps as well. Regulated products are tested for the rate of water consumption and given a star rating, with the maximum score possible being six stars. All Abey taps show the WELS rating clearly on the product page. For example, you can see that this GESSI MESH Pull Out Kitchen Mixer has a very high five-star WELS rating, meaning that it reduces water consumption to only what you require. As of June 2022, the minimum water efficiency requirements for WELS registered tapware is a three-star rating.
2. The flow rate
Linked to the WELS rating, but important to understand in its own right, is a product’s flow rate. The flow rate refers to the speed, in litres per second, at which water comes out of a tap or shower head. Units with unnecessarily high flow rates could mean that you’re using a whole lot of water that you don’t need.
It can be easy to confuse flow rate with a unit’s water pressure, which refers to the amount of force that water is being pushed through your plumbing pipes when a unit is in use. Water pressure is measured in kilopascals (kPa), so look out for a measurement in litres per second to know you’re dealing with flow rate.
It’s incredible the difference that flow rate can make to the overall water-saving efficiency of your taps. You can save nearly 2,000 litres of water per household per year for every 1 L/min improvement in a tap’s flow rate, according to the Smart Approved WaterMark (SAWM).
If you’re looking for the gold standard flow rate for kitchen taps, Green Moves Australia recommends 5L/minute – and a product such as the Armando Vicario Provincial Kitchen Mixer ticks this box nicely. However, even a three-star WELS rated tap with flow rate of 9L/min will save your household 11,000 litres of water per year, compared to an old, inefficient tap, according to SAWM. This means you have plenty of options within the Abey range, allowing you to factor in other important criteria such as aesthetics and mounting type.
For more information on how to make your kitchen taps, or other household appliances, more eco-friendly, get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Abey Australia today.
