Water
Designing homes to use water efficiently, reduce costs and cope with more frequent droughts or storms.
Landscaping
It is estimated that between 10–30% of household water use takes place in the garden. This demand for irrigation can be reduced by:
- selecting plants that require little water
- storing and using rainwater for irrigation
- using greywater for irrigation
- using an effective irrigation system
- reducing stormwater run-off.
Plant selection
Water demand for irrigation can be significantly reduced by selecting plants that require little water.
Observe plants that grow well with limited or no watering within the local area. This will give a good guide to plants that are largely self-maintaining and will not require extensive irrigation.
Effective irrigation
Water use is more efficient where the irrigation system applies a smaller volume of water applied directly where it is needed, such as by drip irrigation rather than sprinklers.
Water use should be controlled by the use of timers (for example, to water in the evening to reduce the amount of water evaporation) and/or in-ground moisture meters.
More information
- www.xeriscape.org – an American website with advice on water-efficient gardening
- Are rain tanks enough for your garden? (Kapiti Coast District Council)