Urban Australians wising up with water use

Many Australians living in the city, 96 per cent in fact, have saved water some way in 2012 according to the Newspoll survey 'attitudes to water efficiency'.

The survey also revealed that the amount of people who consider the water situation serious across the nation's cities has also increased for the first time in 2006.

More than 700 people aged over 18 were surveyed in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth at the end of 2012 for Smart Approved WaterMark.

"Australians have a very strong emotional attachment to water as seen in the survey with a staggering percentage of people actively saving water around the home," said Smart WaterMark chief executive officer Julian Gray.

Among the two most common water-saving activities were having shorter showers and changing garden watering habits, with just under 80 per cent of people electing to reduce water this way.

Over half of people (54 per cent) retrofitted showers, toilets or taps through a government or utility program, while the use of greywater also proved to be popular with 43 per cent of 'urban Australians' recycling or collecting rainwater.

If you're currently renovating the bathroom, you may want to consider implementing eco-efficient showerheads and taps in your bathroom DIY plans.