Tapping in to kitchen style: A guide to kitchen taps

The desire for more efficiency in water saving devices has lead to a new breed in kitchen taps. The result is stylish, multifunctional tapware that offers good looks as well as water saving features. With a design range to suit every taste, from traditional to sleek contemporary styles, it's no wonder that kitchen taps are becoming more of a focus within the kitchen.

When shopping for taps, you can now see which taps offer the best water saving options. The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has developed a rating system that clearly displays the water efficiency of appliances with an easy to follow rating. Appliances are rated from A to AAAAA and the more A's, the more efficient the product.

Innovative kitchen tap features

The new generation kitchen taps now offer water efficiency in the form of dual flow operation. The taps can be operated to adjust the water flows according to need, using a lower flow rate for general usage but can be activated to provide a higher flow rate when required. Today's taps come in several styles that use multifunctional options. The most popular are:

• Stylish conventional tap sets
• Mixer taps
• Twinners
• Sink mixers with vegetable spray features
• Low pressure tap kits

It is interesting to note that the average tap can release up to 18 litres of water per minute, while water-efficient 'low-flow' taps release as little as 2 litres per minute. More information can be found via the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme website.

Finding and installing the best kitchen taps

Most kitchen showrooms and warehouses will be able to give you an opinion on which tap will suit your kitchen. It's also handy to have an idea of what you're after before shopping around, so try browsing the web first or take note of any suitable taps you see during your day. The installation process can be completed with do-it-yourself methods or by contacting a plumber.