Your Daily Water Usage
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Water Usage by Appliance
See how many litres your shower, bath, washing machine, dishwasher and other appliances use each day — and what it costs on a meter. Adjust each appliance to match your actual habits and get a full daily, monthly and annual breakdown.
Tip! — Enter your combined water and sewerage rate from your bill for an exact cost. The UK average of £3.30/m³ is pre-filled.
Find on your water bill · Not sure? Use the Water Cost Calculator →
Usage & Cost Breakdown by Appliance
| Appliance | Litres/day | Cost/month | Cost/year |
|---|
Daily Litres by Appliance
How You Compare
GUIDE
How to Reduce Your Water Bill
Practical steps to cut your water usage at home — from shower heads and washing habits to leak checks and free water-saving kits.
Read Guide →How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your water rate — find your combined water and sewerage rate (£/m³) on your bill. The UK average of £3.30/m³ is pre-filled.
- Adjust each appliance — set your shower type, duration and frequency. Set how often you run the washing machine, dishwasher and other appliances. Enable or disable any you don't have.
- Click Calculate — see your daily litres per appliance, daily and monthly costs, a bar chart of where your water goes, and how you compare to the UK average of 140 litres per person per day.
UK Appliance Water Usage — Reference Figures
All figures sourced from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), Waterwise and the Environment Agency:
| Appliance | Typical usage | Efficient alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Electric shower (8 min) | ~48 litres (6 L/min) | Low-flow head: ~32 litres |
| Mixer shower (8 min) | ~80 litres (10 L/min) | Low-flow head: ~48 litres |
| Power shower (8 min) | ~112 litres (14 L/min) | Reduce duration by 2 min: ~84 litres |
| Bath (standard fill) | ~80 litres | Shallow fill: ~55 litres |
| Toilet — dual flush | 4–6 litres per flush | Half flush: 3–4 litres |
| Toilet — single flush (older) | ~13 litres per flush | Upgrade or fit a hippo bag |
| Washing machine (modern) | ~50 litres/cycle | Eco setting: ~35 litres |
| Dishwasher (modern) | ~13 litres/cycle | Eco setting: ~9 litres |
| Running tap | 6 litres/minute | Turn off while brushing teeth |
| Garden hosepipe | ~1,000 litres/hour | Watering can: ~8 litres |
| Dripping tap (waste) | ~15 litres/day | Fix washer: £0–5 |
| Leaking toilet (waste) | Up to 400 litres/day | Fix immediately — free test with food dye |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water does a shower use in the UK?
It depends on the shower type. An electric shower uses around 6 litres per minute — so an 8-minute shower uses about 48 litres. A mixer shower uses 10–12 litres per minute (80–96 litres for 8 minutes). A power shower uses 13–15 litres per minute, meaning an 8-minute power shower can use more than a full bath. Fitting a low-flow shower head can roughly halve the flow rate of a mixer or power shower.
How much water does a washing machine use per cycle?
A modern front-loading machine uses around 50 litres per cycle on a standard 40°C wash. Older top-loading machines can use 70–100 litres. Running a half-load or eco cycle on a modern machine typically reduces this to 30–40 litres.
Is a dishwasher more efficient than washing up by hand?
Yes — a modern dishwasher uses around 12–15 litres per cycle. Hand-washing the same load under a running tap typically uses 30–60 litres. For dishwashers to be more efficient, they need to be fully loaded and run on an eco setting where possible.
How much water does flushing the toilet use?
A modern dual-flush toilet uses 4–6 litres per full flush and 3–4 litres for a half flush. Older single-flush toilets use around 13 litres per flush. If your household flushes 5 times per person per day, switching from an old single-flush toilet to a dual-flush model can save over 25,000 litres per person per year.
How much does a running tap waste?
A running tap uses around 6 litres per minute. Leaving it running while brushing your teeth for two minutes wastes around 12 litres each time. A dripping tap can waste over 5,500 litres per year — equivalent to about 70 full baths.