1. Check your taps for leaks and install tap aerators, which save about nine litres of water per minute.

2. Install a water-efficient shower head and timer, or a Shower Monitor. This will cut your water use, saving hundreds of dollars every year.

3. Divert the water from your laundry to the garden via a greywater unit.

4. Put a water displacement device in the cistern of your toilet, to cut down on the water used when flushing.

5. Use a low-phosphorous detergent, so fewer chemicals are spread onto the garden via greywater.

6. Quiz the salesperson before buying a new washing machine. Ask for a water-efficient model and, of course, wash in cold water.

7. Install the Enviro Save Water System. This great idea saves that first lot of cold water you waste waiting for the hot water to arrive, by diverting it back into the system.

8. Choose a dishwasher that uses 18 litres of water or less per cycle, and only turn it on when it's full.

9. Save a whopping 100-150 kilolitres of water each year with even a small 2300-litre-capacity water tank.

10. Prevent your roof cavity from heating up by insulating your ceiling. Add 4-6 Universal Tile Ventilators to your roof so hot air can escape.

11. Shade your windows against the hot sun and lessen the need for expensive air-conditioning. Open the windows for cross-ventilation from cool breezes, and close against hot winds.

12. Cool down a patio with a simple drop of shadecloth or a blind. If your outdoor area faces west, you'll find it especially effective.

13. Opt for ceiling fans. They are cheaper than air-conditioning, and models with blades that rotate in reverse send warm air downwards in winter.

14. Mulch with homemade compost - more mulch means less watering.

15. Insulate your windows on the inside with blinds. Seal out draughts with insulating tape and reach for a blanket before cranking up the heater.

16. Hang out the washing. In such a sunny country, there's no need to add about 640kg of carbon emissions to the atmosphere every year with a drier.

17. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, or install a motion sensor.

18. Check your fridge's seal. If it's possible for you to slide a $5 note up and down in your closed fridge door, the seal needs replacing.

19. Switch off all equipment at the power point. Stand-by mode uses more energy than its name implies.

20. Replace just one light globe with an energy-efficient one and it will save you about $50 a year.