Do the stickers on our water-using appliances and plumbing products lead to economic benefits and help reduce household environmental impact? This was the question the UTS Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) was commissioned to explore. Little did they know how far their research would travel.
WELS gives appliances a six-star water eficiency rating.
Initiated during a major drought in July 2006, Australian Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) is a national, government-run scheme designed to reduce water consumption and increase customer awareness.
The high-profile part of the scheme are the stickers which rate the water efficiency of water-using appliances and plumbing products from one to six stars.
Legislation requires regular program evaluations be conducted by independent reviewers and published on the scheme’s website.
“ISF was commissioned to undertake the 2015 evaluation, which explored how WELS impacted people's behaviours and what the water, energy and greenhouse gas savings would be. We were subsequently engaged in 2018, but this time we proposed a more in-depth evaluation,” says Associate Professor Simon Fane, leader of the Water Futures team at UTS-ISF.”
Associate Professor Simon Fane
Associate Professor Fane explains that the 2018 review built on the methodology of the 2015 evaluation but enhanced it. “This time we undertook a full cost benefit analysis, to understand the economics and bill savings since its commencement in 2006, and we projected 20 years into the future, to the end of 2036-37.”
The results were astounding. Their review estimated that in 2017 the scheme saved 112 billion litres of water, saved consumers over AU$1 billion on their utility bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.9 million tonnes.
It also estimated that the scheme would save 231 billion litres of water per year by 2036. For customers, that would mean AU$2.6 billion in utility bill savings per year. In addition, it found there will be a cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of around 56 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents by 2036.
“These big numbers clearly demonstrate how successful the initiative has been; but what’s been really eye-opening for us was a project we initiated in 2023 to find out exactly how far these research reports travelled,” continues Associate Professor Fane.
“We’ve been amazed to see how much they have been cited and used, not just by water utilities, lobby groups and politicians in Australia and New Zealand (where the standard also applies), but globally.”
Sian Hamilton
Sian Hamilton was the research assistant tasked with undertaking this research and says that while UTS wasn’t always credited, their exact results were quoted time and time again by international professional bodies and learned societies using it to define best practice, formulate their own policies, or lobby government or other stakeholders.
“For example, I discovered that ISF’s 2015 evaluation influenced the introduction of an international standard for labelling schemes between 2019 and 2022, with the International Water Association (IWA) encouraging the International Standards Organisation (ISO) to create mandatory standards that mirror the Australia and New Zealand standard,” she explains.
“I also found that our 2018 evaluation was relied on as a best practice example during the UK’s public consultation process and broader discussions regarding labelling between 2020 and 2023, with multiple professional bodies, such as Northumbrian Water Group and National Energy Action, using it to lobby the UK Government and other stakeholders.”
Hamilton’s research also revealed that UTS-ISF’s research had been quoted in a webinar hosted by the European Energy Network in 2022, where experts on labelling from Europe, the United States and Australia discussed the opportunities and limitations of the European Union’s possible water and energy labelling options.
“One of the most important takeaways we can glean from our work on WELS is the vital importance of evaluations in making sure schemes like this live up to their promise. But the other key takeaway is to keep an eye on how far research can travel because you never know how much influence it might be having,” says A/Prof Fane, who is Co-Chair of the Australian Water Association (AWA) Water Efficiency Network and sits on the international IWA group for efficient urban water management.
One of the most important takeaways we can glean from our work on WELS is the vital importance of evaluations in making sure schemes like this live up to their promise. But the other key takeaway is to keep an eye on how far research can travel because you never know how much influence it might be having.
- Professor Simon Fane
With UTS-ISF’s focus on industry engagement and research that makes a real difference in the world, A/Prof Fane says pursuing water efficiency as a research focus is a no-brainer and his team is continuing to use and improve the modelling used on the WELS evaluation on projects that will reduce water use across Australia.
“Using less to get the same outcome, whether this applies to energy, materials or water, will always have the best sustainability outcome,” he says. “It’s like prevention being better than cure.”
Research team
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Program Lead Water Futures, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures -
Sian HamiltonProgram Assistant, UTS Institute for Sustainabe Futures
