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Water Use outside the home

And so that’s about 160 litres down the drain before even going in the garden. Normally outdoor use of water is only 7% of water consumption. But at peak times in a dry summer this rises to 70%. The hosepipe is the villain. Depending on use and pressure, it flows at around 1000 to 1400 litres an hour. Connected to a sprinkler, it is a wasteful and ineffective way of watering. Using a trickle or drip system is a much better way: water is absorbed slowly and penetrates more easily to roots, there is no evaporation and it can be directed to specific plants. And on average a 100 metre length only uses 55 litres an hour.

So with toilets and the washing machine using between 30 to 40% of our water, it makes sense to use rainwater instead of mains water to supply these appliances.  And in a drought when we want to use so much more water for gardens and other outdoor uses, it makes sense to use stored rainwater when mains water use might be restricted.