If you’ve been taking advantage of working from home to hit the snooze button, you’re not alone.
Data from SA Water has shown the number of morning cuppas, steamy showers and toilet flushes between Monday and Friday is now peaking between 9am and 10am, instead of the usual 7 to 8am window.
SA Water Senior Manager Media Relations Joshua Zugajev puts the shift in water patterns on more people working from home and leaving the usual rush of showering and washing the breakfast dishes for later.
“The evening peak has also smoothed, with many able to put a load of laundry on between daytime meetings, shifting typical dishwasher patterns to after lunch, or even getting an earlier start on dinner prep,” he said.
In a slightly TMI (too much information) moment, Mr Zugajev says the change has also delayed what SA Water calls ‘flush hour’ – when all of the sewage – the grey water from our showers and the flushes that convey our toilet paper, pee and poo – hits the wastewater treatment plants to between 10 and 11am.
It’s not the first sign that Australians are taking a break from their usual routines.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) also revealed last month that demand for gas in Victoria had also shown more demand in the late morning – with demand highest on very cold days.
With more people returning to work over winter, we predict a further spike in hot showers – and last-minute dashes to the office.
