About one third of the water each person uses on a daily basis is wasted – it goes straight down the plug hole. That’s a lot of water – about 50 litres each, per day. But is there any point in saving water? After all, we’re never going to run out of it.

Well, yes actually. Every drop of water leaving your tap has been treated at a water treatment plant – a complicated process that turns “grey water” into the useable, drinkable, clean, safe water we all take for granted. Hot water is doubly energy-intensive, as you’ve produced carbon in heating it.

Nearly all the world’s water is undrinkable
These processes use a lot of energy – for the water used by the average family in a year, it’s about the same as a return flight to New York, according to research by Waterwise. And there might not be as much water around as you think. Nearly all the world’s water is undrinkable, without only about 1% suitable and available for our use, and there is increasing pressure on that 1% supply.

So, what’s the best way to conserve water? In no particular order, here are some tips.

• In your garden, water in the early morning and evening to reduce evaporation, use a can, not a hose, and direct it at the base of the plant. When buying new plants, think about what will work in the conditions you have. If you have a dry sun-baked garden, get plants that thrive in those conditions, not ones needing constant watering. 63% of our water use at home is in the bathroom. Get dripping taps fixed pronto, and save the long showers for an occasional treat. 
• If the hot tap in your sink, bath or shower takes a while to heat up, have a jug or bucket to hand to fill up while you’re waiting, and use the water on the garden. 
• Contact your water company for an inflatable device to put in your toilet cistern to reduce the water flushed away – or you can buy one, the Hippo Water Saver. 
• Fit a water butt – or better still, several – to make the most of those downpours by collecting water from your house or shed roof.
• Think about saving water in the kitchen – steaming veg instead of boiling it, for instance, and not filling up the washing up bowl for just a few glasses. 
• Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth. If everyone in the UK who leaves the tap running turned it off, we’d save enough to supply 2.9 million people for one day.
• Only run a dishwasher or washing machine when full. When replacing your dishwasher, washing machine or loo, look for water efficient models. Check out Waterwise’s website for award-winning white goods. 
• Get a water meter. You’ll have a financial incentive to follow all these other tips!