We are committed to focusing on urban water efficiency ensuring that water efficiency measures are developed and supported by water corporations and their communities.
This initiative complemented this focus and built on actions taken by the government, water corporations and by individuals over the previous 4 years to ensure that Victoria has secure water supplies and to defer any new and more expensive water supply options as long as possible.
It delivers on the commitment in Water for Victoria Action 5.3 to reinvigorate investment into urban water efficiency programs across Victoria, introducing the revised Target 150 in Melbourne and Target Your Water Use (TYWU) initiatives for regional Victorians.
It also supports the commitment to expand the government’s work on providing a digital monitoring platform to new sectors and more schools. Ensuring Victoria is using existing water as efficiently as possible is a critical backdrop and foundational element of how we meet long-term security of supply.
The Making Victorians Waterwise (Water Efficiency) Program delivered the following programs through water corporations:
Victoria’s urban water corporations delivered a range of behaviour change initiatives encouraging Victorians to use water wisely. The Target 150 and Make Every Drop Count programs encouraged Melburnians to use no more than 150 litres of water per day, while in regional Victoria the TYWU program encourages water wise behaviours tailored to local contexts.
The Melbourne water corporations are continuing to deliver the Make Every Drop Count behaviour change program in Melbourne, which supports Melbourne residents to achieve Target 150.
Since 2012, SWEP has provided schools with the opportunity to track their water use and actively detect leaks and faulty equipment. The program also provides science and maths curriculum materials for primary and secondary students based on SWEP water data.
At the end of June 2024, a total of 1,452 schools were registered to SWEP, which is over 50% of all Victorian schools. Over the investment period, SWEP data monitoring identified a total of 3,010 leak events in 905 schools (60% of registered schools) and saved 1.9 gigalitres of potable water equating to $8.46 million in avoided water and wastewater costs to schools.
VicFacilities is a modified version of SWEP aimed at government, councils and high-water using non-residential sectors. Over the 4-year EC5 period, digital water use data and timely leak alerts received through the VicFacilities portal helped 291 organisations, including aged care, hospitals, councils and water corporations, to identify and save 110 megalitres of water wastage. This equated to $388,748 in avoided water bill costs.
Delivered through Victorian water corporations, the Community Rebate and Housing Retrofit Programs helped customers in vulnerable and hardship situations to help reduce their water consumption and water bills by fixing leaks and replacing faulty equipment (such as leaking showers and taps).
At the end of June 2024, a total of 6,053 households and emergency community housing properties were assisted. The accumulated water savings of these plumbing works and upgrades resulted in 298 megalitres of water saved over the EC5 period. This equates to $0.75 million in total bill savings from reduced water and wastewater charges or $124 average saving per customer assisted per year.
The 2023 independent review of the programs found that 80% of customers assisted (and who responded to the evaluation survey) would have not upgraded or would have delayed their upgrade by up to 5 years without help from the rebate programs, and 52% of respondents stated they had changed their behaviour to save water after participating in the programs.
Page last updated: 18/10/24