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Study: Use of water-saving fixtures
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The proportion of Canadian households using reduced volume toilets more than doubled from 15% to 37% between 1994 and 2006. At the same time, the percentage of households with a low-flow shower head rose from 44% to 57%.
The use of water-saving fixtures is one way for municipalities and households to reduce water costs.
Environment Canada estimates that Canadians on average consumed 329 litres of water a day in 2004 on a per capita basis. Toilets and shower heads accounted for slightly more than half of the water consumed indoors.
Households in Eastern Canada were more likely to use low-flow showerheads while those in Ontario and the West were more likely to use reduced volume toilets.
Households with water meters were more likely to use reduced volume toilets than those paying a flat rate for their water, but the same trend was not found for low-flow shower heads.
Higher income, home ownership and living in a single-detached dwelling were also associated with greater use of water-saving fixtures.
Note: This study examines the use of water-saving toilets and shower heads using data from the 2006 Households and the Environment Survey. Any difference between results published in this study and in other Statistics Canada products are due to the exclusion of respondents who did not answer questions on the use of water-saving shower heads and toilets when calculating percentages in the current study.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3881.
The article "Who uses water-saving fixtures in the home?" is now available in EnviroStats, Fall 2008, Vol. 2, no. 3 (16-002-XWE, free), from the Publications module of our website.
The articles "Conventional tillage: How conventional is it?" and "Thermostat use in Canadian homes" are also released in this issue of EnviroStats.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact the Information Officer (613-951-0297; environ@statcan.gc.ca), Environment Accounts and Statistics Division.
