Water Footprint Calculator
Estimate the water your household uses each day and where it goes.
About the Water Footprint Calculator
Enter the household size, shower time and flow, toilet flushes, laundry and dishwasher loads, and garden watering. The calculator estimates daily household water use and use per person.
Showers and toilets usually dominate household water use. Efficient fixtures make a big difference: a 6 L/min shower head uses half the water of a 12 L/min one. Modern washing machines use around 50 L a load and dishwashers about 10–15 L a cycle, less than washing up by hand.
The formula
Daily use = Σ (uses per day × litres per use)
Worked example
3 people, 8-minute showers at 9 L/min, 5 flushes of 6 L each, 5 loads of laundry and dishes a week, 200 L for the garden
- Showers alone: 3 × 8 × 9 = 216 L a day
- Household: about 454 L (120 US gal) a day
- 151 L per person
Questions people ask
What's typical use?
Often 100–150 L per person per day in Europe and 300+ L (80–100 gal) in the US including outdoor use.
Biggest saving?
Shorter showers, efficient shower heads and fixing leaky toilets.