06-A · The label
Seven kinds of product, one label
The scheme regulates taps, showers, toilets and other lavatory equipment, urinals, flow controllers, and household dishwashers and clothes washing machines. Second-hand products and products imported for personal use are excluded.
The bottom of the label carries the registration details: the company that registered the product, its licence number, and the standards that guide the testing. The star bands themselves are on the regulator’s page about what the stars mean.
06-B · In litres and dollars
A worked example at Sydney Water’s price
The WELS regulator publishes its own comparisons for typical households, in kilolitres saved a year. The bars show them side by side.
| Example | Saved a year | At $3.41 a kilolitre |
|---|---|---|
| Shower, 15 to 6 L/min | 105 kL | $358.05 |
| Shower, 15 to 9 L/min | 70 kL | $238.70 |
| Toilet, 12 L to 3.5 L average | 50 kL | $170.50 |
| Washing machine, 80 L to 30 L | 18 kL | $61.38 |
| Dishwasher, 19 L to 9.5 L | 3.5 kL | $11.94 |
The regulator’s own examples price water at a 2014–15 national average of $2.99 a kilolitre, so four of its five dollar figures are lower than these. Its dishwasher figure is the exception: $20 a year for the same 3.5 kL. For showers and taps it adds that, depending on energy costs, the energy saved on heating the water may be worth as much again, or more.
Two Sydney details change the sum. The saving shows up in the usage charge: Sydney Water’s wastewater service charge is a fixed quarterly charge that already includes a deemed amount for usage. And if Greater Sydney’s dam levels drop below 60%, a higher drought usage rate of $3.84 a kilolitre applies until they are back above 70%.
06-C · Appliances
On a dishwasher or washing machine, read the cycle
Dishwasher and washing machine labels also list the model and the cycle used to test water efficiency, such as “normal” or “eco”. The regulator suggests using that part of the label to decide whether the model and the cycle tested suit how you will actually use the machine.
Load capacity matters for the same reason: the regulator’s washing machine example compares two machines of the same 6 kg capacity, and its dishwasher example compares machines that hold 14 place settings.
06-D · Buying online
Check the register, especially online
A regulated product must show its rating with the product: a label on the product or packaging, or on the product page in an online store, or text advice on a tag or in the online description. The regulator suggests checking its public product register, by model name or registration number, particularly when buying online or from an international seller.
If you cannot find a product there, the regulator says it may not be registered, may not deliver the indicated performance, or may not meet other requirements such as WaterMark certification. Plumbing products regulated under WELS must be WaterMark certified before they can be registered, and WaterMark certification is required before a licensed plumber can install them.
06-E · Who answers for it
Everyone who supplies it, the builder included
The WELS regulator inspects businesses that sell regulated products, whether in a shop, online, or in new homes and property developments. Everyone in the supply chain may be liable for penalties, and its list includes retailers, wholesalers and distributors, manufacturers, auctioneers, builders and property developers, real estate agents who sell new homes, and installers who also supply the product.
As at October 2026, the civil penalty for each contravention can reach $21,840 for an individual, or $109,200 for a corporation. Two of the offences show what a misleading label looks like: claiming a “10 star WELS rating” when the scale runs from 0 to 6 stars, and putting what looks like a WELS label on a product the scheme does not cover, such as a bidet or irrigation equipment.
Toll-free within Australia, as listed on the scheme’s own pages.