All products we regulate under the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme must be registered with us and labelled with the correct water rating information.
This includes displaying a water rating label or text advice with products in store and online.
Look for the label. It can help you make informed choices about the water efficiency of products for your home or business.
Understand the label
Important information is provided on the water rating label and in text advice.
Star rating lets you quickly compare the water efficiency of different products.
Rate of water consumption such as flow rate, litres per flush or litres per wash lets you estimate how much water the product will use.
Registration and product details including licence number and registration number and, for washing machines and dishwashers, the model name and cycle used for testing.
These details can help you decide which product will suit your needs and give you the best water and energy savings.
How to read the WELS label - video transcript (DOCX 19.8 KB)
Star rating
At the top of the water rating label, the star rating shows the water efficiency of the product. Understanding the star rating is easy — the more stars, the more water efficient the product is.
Use the star rating to compare the water efficiency of different products at a glance.
Star rating
Rate of water consumption
The middle section of the label shows the amount of water used by the product.
Details of consumption rate displayed on the label vary by product type:
- dishwashers — litres per wash, load capacity of the machine
- flow controllers — litres per minute
- showers — litres per minute
- taps — litres per minute
- toilets — litres per average flush, litres per full flush, and litres per half flush
- urinals — litres per flush, per stall
- washing machines — litres per wash, load capacity of the machine.
Use these figures to estimate how much water the product will use.
You can also check our estimates for saving money by choosing water efficient products.
Dishwashers
Washing machines
Showers, taps, flow controllers
Toilets
Urinals
Registration and product details
At the bottom of the label you can find the registration and product information.
This includes:
- company that registered the product
- licence number
- standards that guide how products are tested.
Dishwasher and washing machine labels also list the model and cycle used to test water efficiency.
Use the information in this section of the label to decide if the model and cycle tested meet your needs, and to search our product database to verify the water rating information.
Urinals, toilets, showers, flow controllers, taps
Washing machines, dishwashers
Confirm label details
You can make sure the information on the water rating label is correct by searching our product database, before you buy products in store or online.
Find the product by searching for the:
- model name provided with the product
- registration number provided with the product.
Products that are not in our database are not registered. It is illegal to supply unregistered products, and the water rating information on an unregistered product may be false or misleading.
Using the WELS product database - video transcript (DOCX 19.8 KB)