South Africa sure is sunny. Problem is, our nice weather limits our water resources and the country is running dry.

So, how can homeowners save water? Here's some advice taken from Property Signposts, Chas Everitt International's newsletter:

• If you have a leaky tap, replace the washer immediately. A tap leaking at the rate of one drop per second will waste around 10 000 litres of water every year.

• Fit bathroom and kitchen taps with inexpensive aerators or flow restrictors. A showerhead fitted with a flow restrictor will use only about seven litres of water per minute compared to 20 litres a minute for an old-style showerhead.

• Use a timer and try to restrict your shower time to less than five minutes.

• If you have an old-style toilet put a bottle filled with water or a brick into the cistern to reduce the amount of water used with each flush. The new-style toilets with flat cisterns only use about three to six litres per flush.

• In the kitchen, start by keeping cold drinking water in the fridge rather than running the tap until the water cools and thaw frozen food in the fridge or microwave instead of under running water.

• Don't rinse hand-washed dishes under a running tap. If you have a dual sink, fill one side with soapy water and the other with rinsing water or use a basin for rinsing.

• Don't use water-hungry kitchen-sink disposal units. Rather try composting which is an environmentally-friendly alternative. Wash fresh fruit or vegetables in a basin not under running water.

• When doing laundry always try waiting until you've got a full load before you use the washing machine. If you do a half load, adjust the water level accordingly.

• If you’re going really 'green', why not buy a water tank to catch the runoff from your roof and use rainwater in your washing machine? Alternatively, channel grey water from the washing machine rinse cycle to be re-used in your garden.