Short shower time

Residents in rural Marlborough have been asked to take short showers as the long, hot dry spell continues to threaten water supplies.

The Marlborough District Council issued the warning to Renwick at the end of January after last month’s heatwave saw Marlborough match the record for its hottest month since records began in 1932.

Residents have also been asked to fix leaks and dripping taps, and wash clothes and dishes on a full load as the town’s water supply continues to fall.

The warning could be the town’s last though ahead of new water reservoir and water meter projects, earmarked for completion in 2021, which would strengthen Renwick’s supply.

Renwick has faced water restrictions for years, with past advice encouraging oddnumbered houses to water their gardens on odd-numbered days, and even-numbered houses on even-numbered days.

Renwick Smart and Connected chairman Joe Keighley said the possible restriction was not a surprise as Renwick had ‘‘been through this before’’.

‘‘I think in the past, we’ve done a good job. There was no restriction last year . . . we were hoping with all the rain in December we would not have to worry about it, but it seems not,’’ he said.

‘‘In our household, the dishwasher only goes on when it’s full. We also throw the boys in the pool sometimes, as opposed to them having a shower, as that saves water.’’

His garden was also watered at night by hand to help offset evaporation, which occurred more during the day, he said.

He advised residents to ‘‘save where you can’’, and said the community would get through.

Councillor Cynthia Brooks, who lives in Renwick, said she saved water by having short showers, avoiding baths, and ‘‘flushing the loo only when needed’’.

Brooks said she also made sure dishwasher loads were full, used the car wash in town, and used plenty of mulch in her gardens to keep water in.

Water restrictions were common for Renwick in summer as its wells sat in a ‘‘very shallow’’ part of the aquifer, and the town had seen exponential growth since its water supply network was built in the mid 1970s, she said.

The restriction came as ‘‘no surprise’’ as there had been just a few millimetres of rain since Christmas, alongside ‘‘lots of heat and wind’’, Brooks said.

Long-time Renwick resident Lois Johnson agreed, saying a water restriction was ‘‘not a big surprise’’ considering Renwick’s history of water conservation.

Johnson turned her sprinkler on for 20 minutes after 7.30pm to prevent water waste during the day, while still allowing her flowers to thrive in the heat.

She also swept rather than sprayed stones off her driveway, and kept big bottles of water in the laundry for emergencies such as earthquakes or when the town was low on water.

Quinten Kersey, who has been living in Renwick for almost a year, said it was the first time he’d faced a water restriction.

While he’d started buying bottled water as it was chlorinefree and ‘‘cleaner’’ than tap water, it now had the added benefit of saving water, he said.

Kersey said he was ‘‘conscious of the water issue’’ and restrained from turning on his sprinkler during the day, instead opting to water the garden at 9pm.

Council operations and maintenance engineer Stephen Rooney said the bore water level was at 1288 millimetres on Monday. A man is seeing the sunny side of solar power after paying just $1.60 for his December electricity bill.

Blenheim resident Stephen Gould made the move to renewable energy in October and his latest bills show going green has helped him save big.

Gould installed 16 solar panels on his roof, the energy from which feeds into the town’s power grid, which in turn comes off his electricity bill each month.

He showed Stuff his last two power bills, totalling $17 for November and $1.60 for December, and said he expected his next power bill to be in credit following a month of good weather.

This was despite having two teenagers off school, running airconditioning and a spa pool,

Gould said.

‘‘This is quite an energy hungry home. We went from $250 a month [in power bills] down to about $20 for the whole of summer,’’ he said.

‘‘I admit we will pay a power bill in winter . . . but it’s about taking a holistic view. You can’t just put them on and expect to earn money every month.’’

The large $16,000 system was the latest in his push to embrace solar, following the installation of a solar-powered water heater and spa pool.

He expected it to pay for itself in about seven years, and earn the household savings in the years following, he said.

Its installation occurred ahead of the Marlborough District Council’s new solar panel initiative.

Gould urged homeowners to take advantage of Marlborough’s high sunshine hours and ‘‘buy electricity for your future’’.

The council announced a tender in January seeking expressions of interest from solar panel providers who were members of the Sustainable Energy Association New Zealand (SEANZ).

Once a provider entered into