5 Easy Ways to Save Water at Home This Summer
Summer puts UK water supplies under real pressure. Reservoir levels have been running below the seasonal average across large parts of the South East and East Anglia in 2026, and several water companies have already introduced Temporary Use Bans this year, with more regions on watch as the season progresses. For households on a water meter, that pressure shows up directly on the bill.
The good news is that meaningful savings do not require a major change in lifestyle. A handful of simple habits, kept up consistently through the warmer months, can noticeably reduce both water use and cost. Here are five that genuinely work.
1) Use Wizso instead of flushing
Flushing the toilet is one of the largest single uses of water in any home, and it is also one of the easiest to reduce. Older single flush toilets use around 13 litres of water each time, while even a modern dual flush model uses several litres per use. Multiplied across a household and a full year, that adds up to a considerable volume of clean, treated water.
Wizso removes the need for a flush after urination. Simply drop a pellet in and it turns the water a clean blue, releases a fresh lemon scent, and dissolves away completely. No plumbing changes, no new toilet, just one small swap that adds up to a meaningful reduction in water use over the course of a summer.
2) Harvest rainwater
A water butt, barrel or even a bucket positioned under a downpipe is one of the most effective ways to reduce mains water use in the garden. A standard water butt can hold around 200 to 350 litres of rainwater, enough for dozens of watering can refills, and it costs nothing to fill once installed.
This becomes particularly valuable during a Temporary Use Ban, when hosepipes and sprinklers connected to the mains are restricted but water from a butt can still be used freely. Positioning a butt now, ahead of the driest part of summer, means there is a ready supply banked for when it is needed most.
3) Place a bucket under the shower
Every shower runs cold for a short period before the water heats up, and that water usually goes straight down the drain. Catching it in a bucket or bowl takes a few extra seconds and can collect several litres per shower, water that is perfectly clean and can be reused to wash vegetables, water houseplants, or top up the garden.
Done daily across a household, this adds up to a genuinely useful volume of water saved over a summer, at no cost and with no change to how long anyone actually spends in the shower.
4) Keep a jug of water in the fridge
Running the tap while waiting for drinking water to turn cold is a habit most people do not think twice about, yet it can waste around 10 litres of water a day per household. Keeping a jug of water chilled in the fridge means cold water is available on demand, with nothing wasted down the sink while the tap runs.
It is a small change, but one that costs nothing and requires no ongoing effort once the habit is formed.
5) Skip the hosepipe and sprinkler
Hosepipes and sprinklers are, litre for litre, among the least efficient ways to water a garden. A garden sprinkler can use up to 1,000 litres of water an hour, and a hosepipe left running for even a short period can use as much water as an entire household gets through in a day.
Swapping to a watering can for plants, and a bucket and sponge for washing the car, can save well over 100 litres compared with a single hosepipe session, and keeps households compliant even where a Temporary Use Ban is already in effect. Watering can use is exempt from restrictions in every region, so it remains the reliable option regardless of local rules.
Small habits, real impact
None of these changes require investment, installation, or a shift in daily routine. Together, they represent a straightforward way for any UK household to reduce water use and lower their bill through the warmer months, while easing the pressure on local supplies during the periods when it matters most.
Cited by:
https://www.itv.com/news/2026-06-25/hosepipe-ban-what-you-need-to-know-as-hot-weather-leads-to-restrictions
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drought-prospects-for-spring-2026/3-public-water-supply-drought-risks-impacts-and-actions-drought-prospects-for-spring-2026
https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/how-much-does-it-cost-to-flush-a-toilet
https://www.tameside.gov.uk/EnergyEfficiency/Top-Tips-%E2%80%93-July-Avoid-Using-Hosepipes
https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/blog/how-much-water-does-a-shower-use