Level 5 water restrictions - Water-saving product rebates
No. Small tanks run out of water too quickly if it doesn’t rain frequently. The rebate is to encourage the purchase and installation of sizeable tanks that can hold bigger volumes of water.
Remember that water tanks now come in all shapes and sizes, so you might be able to fit more than 2000 litres of rainwater tanks by connecting several smaller tanks together. Talk to your water tank retailer for advice.
Yes. The rebate applies to the combined volume of the tanks installed on one claim. For instance, if you install two 1200-litre tanks the total volume exceeds 2000 litres and the rebate would be up to $250.
Yes. To be eligible for the Council rebate, the products you install must be certified as water saving. Indoor products need to be WELS rated. Tanks must be Certified to Australian Standards AS3500
In general, tanks with a capacity of less than 10,000 litres may be installed without council approval.
However, development applications must be lodged for tanks that do not meet all relevant development controls. For information relating to the lodgement of a Development Application, visited the Development section on our website or enquire with our Planning & Development team.
You cannot claim on tanks that are a requirement of the BASIX scheme. You can claim a one-off rebate for an additional volume of rainwater tanks that exceed the BASIX requirements. Your claim should include a copy of your Occupation Certificate that shows exactly what was required under BASIX. If in doubt, please contact Council.
No.
However, Council encourages residents to consider connecting rainwater tanks to toilets and washing machines because that saves precious town water.
Rebates are available for licenced plumbers to undertake a water-saving audit of your home to determine where water savings can be made. They will provide you with advice, including recommendations for upgrading fixtures. If you install at least one of these recommended products, Council will pay for 50% or up to $50 for the audit.
Put food colouring in the water in the cistern and leave it a while - but don’t flush. If the cistern is leaking, you should see coloured water leaking into the pan.
If you have a leak, get it fixed straight away. A leaking toilet can waste lots of water.
Complete the Water Saving Rebate Application form. Online copies are available on Council’s website, orget a printed copy from our Council offices in Armidale and Guyra.
You will need to attach:
• a copy of a recent Council Water Notice to prove the property is connected to the Guyra or Armidale town water supply
• copies of paid invoices or receipts (keep the originals for your own records)
Write your name on the copies of receipts or invoices. Copies of invoices/receipts and product labels must be clearly readable and Council will retain these documents.
For showerheads and washing machines, provide evidence that the product has the required WELS star rating. This is usually indicated on the product packaging or label.
Dual-flush toilets and rainwater tanks must be installed by a licenced plumber. Your plumber must also sign the Water Saving Rebate Application form.
Your plumber must provide on their invoice:
• details of the rainwater tank
• the make/model and WELS rating of the new dual-flush toilet and the toilet it replaced
Please give a copy of the plumber’s notes to your licenced plumber before they start work.
Council will check the appliance meet the required WELS star rating before issuing a rebate, so make sure the water saving products meet the required WELS rating before you buy them.
In addition to the rebate for the products above, Council will rebate up to a maximum of $50 towards the cost of having a Licenced Plumber install water saving devices, provided the plumber also undertakes a Residential Water Saving Audit on the premises and this audit is invoiced to the customer.
The rebate scheme will continue until 31 March 2020 or until Council’s budget for the scheme is exhausted, whichever comes first. Council will keep track of total expenditure on the rebate scheme and advise on its website if the scheme will finish before 31 March 2020.
Purchases made after the scheme finishes are not eligible for rebates, so act soon to claim your rebate and save water.
Rebates are available for a number of products and services for each eligible property, up to a maximum of:
• 2 showerheads
• 1 dual-flush toilet
• 1 front-load washing machine
• 1 rainwater tank or combination of interconnected tanks that meet the qualifying volume (but not if the tanks are a requirement of the BASIX scheme)
• 1 water-saving audit by a licenced plumber (if at least one of their audit recommendations are implemented
• The cost of installing the water saving products
You must have a plumber install dual-flush toilet or rainwater tanks to qualify for the rebate.
You may be able to save water by placing a full bottle of water with a closed lid inside the cistern. The bottle needs to be full of water so it sinks into the cistern. The bottle will displace some of the water in the cistern so less water is needed to fill the cistern.
If your bowl has an old-style, wider outlet, you might find not enough water is released to properly flush solid waste. You might end up using more water to flush the waste.
Don’t use a house brick to displace water in the cistern because flakes of masonry from the brick could damage the flushing mechanism and cause the toilet to leak.
Council will consider claims that meet the requirements of the rebate scheme if products were purchased and installed after 29 May 2019, which was the start of Level 4 water restrictions.
You will need to supply copies of receipts/invoices to prove the purchase was after this date and fill in the Water Saving Rebate Application form, including the plumber’s details if required.
Front-load washing machines use less water than top-load washing machines, even high efficiency top-load machines.
There are about 250 models of washing machines that have a WELS rating of 4.5 stars or higher and all of them are front loaders.
Typically, 4.5 star front loaders use 70 litres per wash (normal cycle). In comparison, 4-star rated top loaders typically use 100 litres per wash.
Renters can claim a rebate if:
• they have the permission of the property owner
• they pay the water usage account
However, check with your landlord or their agent because they can purchase and install the water saving products and claim the rebates instead.
If you claim the rebate, you will need to show proof that you pay the water usage account for the premises.
Also check if your lease is under the terms of the NSW Fair Trading standard form Residential Tenancy Agreement. Section 11 of that Agreement states the tenant is not required to pay water usage charges unless certain conditions are met, including that “all showerheads have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute”.
Contact your agent or landlord to see about fitting water saving fittings to the property or go to www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/renting/during-a-tenancy/paying-water-charges for more information about paying water charges.
You can only get a rebate for each of them if you buy and install all the tanks at the same time. For instance, if you buy two 3000-litres tanks you can claim up to $500 because the total volume exceeds 5000 litres.
If you install just one 3000-litre tank ($250 rebate) and later decide to buy a second 3000-litre tank, the second tank is not claimable.
No. Topping up or filling private swimming pools is not permitted under Level 4 or 5 water restrictions and no rebate is available.
The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme is designed to help you choose more water-efficient products for your home. Products that use water are registered with a ‘star’ rating. The more water efficient the product is, the greater the number of stars.
The scheme includes clothes washing machines, dishwashers, taps, showers, toilets, urinals, and flow controllers.
Look for the water rating label (stars) or text advice that must be provided with all regulated products - in store and online.
Find out more about WELS at www.waterrating.gov.au/choose
You can search the WELS database to confirm the star rating of products at www.waterrating.gov.au/choose/water-rating-label or check with your supplier.
The rebate applies to products currently registered on the WELS scheme. Products whose registration has been suspended do not qualify. You can also check with your plumber or retailer.
Council will pay 50% of the purchase cost, up to a maximum amount per item, for the following products:
Showerheads (3-star WELS rated or higher) - $20
Dual-flush toilet replacing cistern and bowl (3-star WELS rated or higher)
Replacement of single flush toilets or old dual flush (11/5.5 litre) only - $150
Front-load clothes washing machine (4.5-star WELS rated or higher) - $150
Rainwater tank 2000 to 4999 litre capacity - $250
Rainwater tank 5000 to 9999 capacity - $500
Installation of rainwater tanks and dual-flush toilets must be undertaken by a licenced plumber.
Rebates are also available for licenced plumbers to undertake a water-saving audit of your home to determine where water savings can be made. They will provide you with advice, including recommendations for upgrading fixtures. If you install at least one of these recommended products, Council will pay for 50% (up to a maximum of $50) for the audit.
If an audit is completed and an invoice is provided for the audit, Council will also rebate 50% (up to a maximum of $100) towards the cost of having a licenced plumber install water saving devices.
Check out the Brad & Jono's Water Saving Tips video on Council's Facebook page.
We also recommend checking out this video kindly provided by Bunnings - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Bbq2vFzrA - or see how it's done in the US - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDLpVHY8LE
The rebates are available to install products in properties connected to the Armidale or Guyra town water supplies. They are not available for rural properties that are not connected to the town supply. To prove a property is connected to the town water supply, applications must be accompanied by a copy of a recent Council Water Notice for the property (not a Rates Notice).
The rebates are available to:
• the owner of the property where the products are installed
• a person who rents the property and;
o has permission from the owner
o pays the water usage account
The applicant must have already ordered, paid for and installed the products.
You cannot claim on water saving products or tanks that are a requirement of the BASIX scheme. You can claim a one-off rebate for an additional volume of rainwater tanks that exceed the BASIX requirements.
The rebates are being provided through Council’s Water Fund. Town water customers, both households and businesses connected to the Guyra and Armidale town supplies, contribute to this fund through their water charges.
While Council is taking steps to assist households not connected to the water supply, by providing access to water for domestic use such as drinking and washing, the purpose of the Water Fund is to provide water security for town water customers.
Older toilet bowls are not compatible with new water-saving cisterns. Not enough water is released to flush solid waste down the older, wider outlet.
You will end up using more water to flush the waste. You need a new bowl with a narrow outlet. Council will not provide a rebate to replace only the cistern.
Experience shows that more water savings are achieved by fitting other types of water-saving appliances - such as showerheads, dual-flush toilets and efficient washing machines - compared to rainwater tanks.
For this reason, Council is targetting rebates toward indoor water-saving devices rather than tanks.