What are we saving anyway? The results of three water demand management programs in NSW, Australia

The use of demand management programs to achieve permanent and reliable decreases in water consumption through retrofits of water using equipment is relatively new in Australia, and has been carried out on the basis of models which predict savings, and on results of demand management programs undertaken overseas. The availability of information on actual savings achieved by demand management programs in Australia is extremely limited. This paper outlines the results of the evaluation of three retrofit programs undertaken in NSW, two of which involved a visit by a plumber to households to carry out a retrofit of indoor water using equipment at a subsidised price; the other taking a “hands-off” approach and relying on a discount incentive mechanism to increase the market share of water efficient showerheads.