Calculating Your Hot Water Usage

Before choosing a new hot water system, it's important to understand how much hot water your household uses. Every home is different, and your familiy's needs will depend on your lifestyle, appliances, and plumbing setup.

Who’s Using the Hot Water?

Start by counting how many people live in your home full-time. Also consider regular visitors or guests who stay over - they’ll contribute to your overall hot water usage too.

How Many Showers and Outlets?

Think about how many showers, taps, and appliances will be connected to the system. For example, if you only have one shower, the system may have time to reheat between uses, meaning a smaller unit may be enough.

What Kind of Shower Heads Do You Have?

Shower heads can make a big difference. Older models can use up to 20 litres per minute, which means a 10-minute shower could use 200 litres of water per person.

Switching to water-saving shower heads - which use about 9 litres per minute - can cut your water use by more than half. It’s a simple change that could reduce both your hot water usage and your water bill.

Showers vs. Baths

The way your family prefers to bathe also plays a role. On average, a bath in Australia uses about 95 litres of water. That’s slightly less than a 10-minute shower with a standard showerhead, and about the same as a shower with a water-saving head.

Dishwashing Habits

Washing dishes by hand uses roughly 10.5 litres per person per day, which adds up quickly in a busy household. In comparison, a dishwasher uses about 15 litres per cycle, which can be more efficient depending on how often you run it.

Laundry Considerations

Many modern washing machines are cold-water-only, meaning they won’t use any hot water at all. It’s worth checking whether your machine is connected to a hot water supply. If it is, frequent washing could increase your hot water demand.