Public housing tenants saving billions of litres of water a year
Minister for Housing David Borger today announced that Housing NSW tenants were now saving 2.5 billion litres of water a year - equivalent to 2,500 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Mr Borger said Housing NSW was one of the largest landlords in the world and easily the largest in Australia.
"Housing NSW own or manage over 140,000 properties - which represents approximately five per cent of all homes in NSW," Mr Borger said.
"Before the NSW Government introduced initiatives to reduce water usage, public housing tenants were using an average of 50 kilolitres more water per household a year than private renters.
"I am very pleased to say however that public housing tenants are now leading the way in water savings and over the last year have reduced their water usage by an average of nine per cent or 20,000 litres per household.
"With 71 per cent of NSW still in drought it's more important than ever to be conservative with the way we use water."
Mr Borger said the NSW Government had introduced a range of water saving initiatives for public housing tenants.
"To encourage residents to reduce their water usage, the NSW Government is progressively installing water saving devices in Housing NSW properties,' Mr Borger said.
"The devices include showerheads, flow regulators for taps and adjustments to single flush toilets to reduce water usage.
"Close to 88,000 dwellings have now been retrofitted in the Sydney metropolitan area, on the Central Coast, in the Hunter Region and in a number of drought affected towns in regional NSW.
"This program is also being expanded to other areas of the State and when complete will include around 128,000 properties.
"Residents also received a fact sheet with a range of tips on saving water in areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry and garden.
"In 2005 legislation was introduced to charge public housing tenants for their water usage. The NSW Government has committed that any money saved by charging for water will be re-invested into the public housing system, helping the Government to build, acquire or substantially upgrade 30,000 homes over the next ten years."
Mr Borger said Housing NSW recently won a prestigious national award for saving water.
"Housing NSW was recognised in the National 2008 Savewater Awards in the Government and Other Utilities category for water saving achievements," Mr Borger said.
"The awards recognised 14 individual category winners shortlisted from over 800 entries.
"It's a clear indication that the NSW Government is leading the way in encouraging the community to save water, which is one of the most precious resources in the state."
