How to check your water use
Our water use graphs and tools can help you keep track of your water use in your home or business. Keeping track of your water use can save time and money, allowing you to get on top of leaks early and identify ways to improve your water efficiency.
Monitoring your business’s water use is important to help you identify potential savings or consumption issues that can be solved with simple changes.
Using your online account
Whether you have 1 or more properties, your online account allows you to monitor all your properties' water use. When you log in, you’ll see an overview of your properties. If there's higher than usual water use, you'll see an increased percentage in the overview for the property.
You will also see high water use alerts if your water use is above 25% for the current billing period. An increase of 25% can indicate a hidden leak or other operational changes. Learn more about the potential reasons for your high water use.
Water use alerts
We'll add an alert to your online account to help you identify abnormal increases in your water use that may need investigation. To see your high water use alerts, please go to the water use and services tab. If you only have one property, you’ll see your alerts in the ‘Overview’ tab.
Detailed water use
To see a more detailed summary of your water use and compare consumption for the different billing periods, log in to your online account and select the 'Water use & services' tab.
Scroll down to find the water use per billing period graph. This is where you can see how many litres of water you've used on average per day for your current billing period, your water use history and get water use forecasts based on your business's consumption trends.
If you have multiple properties and need to view another property's water use, select the property address from the drop-down. If you have multiple meters, you can choose the meter for which you need to view the water use.
You can view all your water use data for your combined meters by selecting 'Total water use - all meters'.
Understanding your water use graph
The water use graph shows you how many litres of water you’ve used on average per day and for each billing period. Your water use billing period is based on the last time we read your meter until your current reading. If you see an asterisk next to the number of days on the graph, it’s because your property has more than 1 meter, which was read on different days resulting in a varying number of days within the period.
Your water use is shown in colours:
- Purple shows the water use for your current billing period.
- Light purple shows our forecasted water use for your next billing period. We calculate this based on your water use history and your use for the same time last year.
- Blue shows your water use for the previous billing periods, with light blue showing your water use for the same time last year.
You can also download your water use information in CSV format to view your detailed water use in other programs.
Water use alerts
You’ll see an alert in your online account when there’s a significant increase in your water use for the current billing period. This is to help you identify abnormal increases that may need investigation. Please go to the 'Water use & services' tab to see your high water use alerts.
You’ll find your alerts in the 'Overview' tab if you only have one property.
So you can see how much your water use has changed over time, the alerts will show you a comparison between the previous billing period and the same time next year.
Properties with a smart meter
If your property has a smart meter, please select the ‘Smart meter’ link in the ‘Water use & services’ tab to view your smart meter dashboard and data.
Water use comparison
Benchmarking helps you measure and compare your performance against similar businesses. It can also assist with identifying potential inefficiencies, determining realistic targets and planning for changes in your operations.
Please visit our benchmarking page to see how you compare to businesses in your industry.
Benchmark my businessCertain times of the year can mark a busy time in your household, or you might have appliances using more water than expected. If you’ve received an unexplained high bill or want to track your water use to make some savings, our water use graph and comparison tool can help you stay on top of things.
Using your online account
To view a detailed water use summary, log in to your online account and go to the water use graph under the ‘My bill’ tab. This is where you can see your water use history and get water use forecasts based on your household’s trends.
Understanding your water use graph
The water use graph shows you how many litres of water you’ve used on average per day and for each billing period. Your water use billing period is based on the last time we read your meter until your current reading.
Your water use is shown in colours:
- Purple shows the water use for your current billing period.
- Light purple shows our forecasted water use for your next billing period. We calculate this based on your water use history and your use for the same time last year.
- Blue shows your water use for the previous billing periods, with light blue showing your water use for the same time last year.
You can also download your water use information in CSV format to view your detailed water use in Microsoft Excel. By clicking on the ‘download water use’ link under the graph.
Compare your water use to other households
When was the last time you looked at how much water you consume compared to similar households in your area? With the water use comparison tool, you can see how your household compares.
- Go to Bill & account
- Enter your account number found on the top right-hand side of your bill
- You will then get a result showing how waterwise you are. You can learn more below if you’re unsure what your status means.
- To get a more accurate comparison, we recommend completing your household profile. Log in to your online account to answer a few questions regarding water use in and around the home.
Understanding your waterwise status
| Waterwise status | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Waterwise | You are doing a great job! |
| Nearly there | You are not far off being Waterwise. Well done! |
| Halfway there | Keep up your good work! |
| Needs improvement | Run a few checks to see where your water is going. |
| Off track | Do you have a leak? Have you installed a lawn? Are visitors staying in your home? It is worth investigating to save you both water and money. |
Your status is based on how many litres per day you use compared to similar households in your neighbourhood. The exact amounts depend on your suburb’s average water use.
Using your bill
If you don’t have an online account, your water bill will be a good starting point. On the front of your bill, you can see how much water you used for the current billing period compared to the previous bill and the same time last year.
Your average daily water use in litres provides a good indication of your day-to-day consumption. Unusual spikes or gradual increases can sometimes mean a hidden leak. If you think a leak might be the cause, use our leak detection tool to find out.
See how waterwise I am