What is the WELS Scheme?
The WELS Scheme requires certain water-using products to be labelled for water efficiency, helping Australian households to save water and money. The scheme also allows industry to showcase its most water-efficient products. The scheme was established on 1 July 2006 as a cooperative Commonwealth/state and territory regulatory system to help reduce domestic water consumption. Under the scheme, product suppliers are required to provide water efficiency information, and star-ratings, to consumers – clothes washers, dishwashers, showers, taps, toilets, urinals and flow controllers. Industry must register these products with the WELS Regulator (the Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts). The scheme is funded from industry registration fees and contributions from federal, state and territory governments and is administered by the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. WELS has its own Act, The Water Efficiency
