据《每日电讯报》报道，水务机构呼吁墨尔本的居民缩短洗澡时间，因为这样每年可以节省150澳元水费。另外，由于担忧用水过多，维州居民也被告诫给花园浇水要“更精明一些”。

据悉，在暖和、蒸发程度较高的天气下，居民给花园浇水的用水量达到1/3，成为家庭用水中最大的一部分，甚至超过了洗澡的用水量。而从去年12月份开始，居民洗澡的平均时间为6分半钟，比此前干旱时期建议的4分钟要长。

东南水务公司（South East Water）的代理客户经理罗宾孙（Sharon Robinson）表示，夏天居民用水增多并不意外，但也有很多方式可以节约用水。他指出，使用每小时用水900升的洒水用具，每天给花园浇水45分钟，会让家庭的水费翻倍。但使用高效的洒水系统，每天早晚浇水一次，则可以节省许多费用。另外，一个4人家庭如果缩短洗澡时间，每年的水费可以节省150澳元。

上一财年，维州家庭平均每人的日均用水量为166升，是自2007-08年以来最高的。水务厅长内维尔（Lisa Neville）表示，虽然维州家庭人均用水量与20年前相比有所减少，但居民节约用水问题仍有“很大空间”。

Take shorter showers, Melbourne households told

MELBOURNE households have been urged to take shorter showers — with water authorities saying it could save families up to $150 a year.

Victorians have also been warned to be “smarter” about watering the garden, amid concerns about rising water use grow.

As part of the State Government’s reintroduction of Target 155 — the campaign that recommends people stick to 155 litres a day — South East Water has released data from a trial showing people have slipped into bad habits Wally warned about in advertisements decades ago.

Almost a third of garden watering is now taking part during the warmest part of the day, when evaporation rates are highest, and has now overtaken showering as the biggest user of water in the home.

Average shower times since December are six-and-a-half minutes, compared to the suggested four minutes recommended during the millennium drought.

South East Water acting customer general manager Sharon Robinson said it wasn’t surprising households were using more water in summer, but there were simple ways to turn off the tap and cut bills.

“With a garden hose or sprinkler using as much as 900 litres per hour, watering the garden for 45 minutes each day can double the average domestic bill,” she said.

“An efficient watering system, used at the start or end of the day, can pay big dividends when bills arrive.

“Showering also provides opportunities for greater water efficiency.”

Ms Robinson said by cutting shower times a four-person household could save $150 a year on their bill.

Those water savings would more than offset the money Melburnians have to cough up for the 50Gl of desalination water ordered by the government last year.

That order is in danger of not being met by plant operator Aquasure, because of a power fault.

The trial tracked the water meters of 169 customers from inner Melbourne and the southeastern suburbs, using data to work out which appliances were using water and when.

Average daily water use was 166 litres per person for the past financial year, the highest since 2007-08.

Water Minister Lisa Neville said while Victorians households were using much less water per capita than 20 years ago, “there’s still room for households to be smarter with their water use”.