WELS Rating for efficiencies. 1 Great Way to Save Money.

The WELS rating system for Water Efficient Products

With ever increasing utility charges and cheaply manufactured products flooding the market it is perhaps time to invest in better products with water saving technology. You need the right information to realise what products provide the solutions to save you money.

There is a Government initiated system in Australia for rating the amount of water that is used by a particular fixture. This is known as a Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme, or WELS for short. It provides consumers with a guide when choosing a product, the rating requirements and water efficiency labelling and standards. The stars indicate water efficiency so the more stars, the greater the water efficiency. The use of tap aerators restricts the flow and so will affect the WELS rating

At MYTAP we provide you with the WELS Water Rating information so you can choose the right product.

The water consumption or flow figures equals either the average water consumption per use (toilets, urinals etc.) or the average water flow per minute (taps, showers, etc.).

To give you a better understanding, the table below shows each star WELS Water Rating:

0 Stars = More than 16 litres / minute thus failing performance requirements
1 Star = More than 12 l/m, but not more than 16 l/m
2 Stars = More than 9 l/m, but not more than 12 l/m
3 Stars = More than 7.5 l/m, but not more than 9 l/m
4 Stars = More than 6 l/m, but not more than 7.5 l/m
5 Stars = More than 4.5 l/m, but not more than 6 l/m
6 Stars = 4.5 l/m or less

Anything 4 star WELS Water Rating or higher is considered best practice and will not only help to preserve our most important resource but will also significantly improve your bank balance. 5 star wels rating product will deliver great efficiencies and a reasonable price. Top of the range 6 star rated products tend to be high cost products

Simply changing all the taps and shower heads in your home could save as much as $500.00 per year and tens of thousands of litres of water.

Potential Water Saving

TAPS

Replacing an old inefficient bathroom or kitchen tap that has a flow rate of 15L/min with a new one:

• 3-star tap that flows at 9L/min will save 11kL and $33 per tap each year on water bills
• 6-star tap that flows at 4L/min will save 20kL and $60 per tap each year on water bills.

There will also potential extra savings with hot water. So depending on energy costs and types of hot water systems, households may also save an equivalent amount (or more) each year on energy bills because less water will need to be heated.

These figures above are provided by the WELS website with the following assumptions:
A tap runs for 5 minutes total per day, for tasks including handwashing, tooth brushing, rinsing dishes, rinsing fruit or vegetables, at an average water price of $2.99/kL (the national average price reported in the 2014–15 Australian Bureau of Statistics Water Account). Time the tap is running to fill a basin is not included.

SHOWERS

Replacing Shower Heads is potentially the biggest saver a household can invest in. A wels rating shower can provide substantial savings.

Every 1L/min reduction in flow  a typical family of four will save nearly 12,000 litres (12kL) of water and $35 each year.

For this family of four, replacing their old shower head that flows at 15L/min with a new:

• 3-star shower that flows at 9L/min will save 70kL and $210 each year on their water bills
• 4-star shower that flows at 6L/min will save 105kL and $315 per year on their water bills.

Depending on energy costs, they may also save an equivalent amount (or more) each year on energy bills because less water will be heated for showers.

These figures are provided by the WELS website with the following assumptions:
each family member showers for the average 8 minutes per day, at an average water price of $2.99/kL (the national average price reported in the 2014–15 Australian Bureau of Statistics Water Account).

MYTAP has a range of modern showers and shower heads from leading tapware brands available online at great prices and free shipping.

WELS RATING TOILETS

Every litre of water that a toilet does not use in an average flush, will save a typical family of four nearly 6kL and $17.50 each year in water supply charges.

If this family replaces an old single-flush toilet with a flush volume of 12L with a new 4-star toilet with an average flush volume of 3.5L, this will save 50kL and $148 each year on their water bills.

These figures are provided by the WELS website with the following assumptions:
each family member flushes 4 times per day, at an average water price of $2.99/kL (the national average price reported in the 2014–15 Australian Bureau of Statistics Water Account). We have a selection of 4 Star Toilets available online