Working in partnership to save water, money and the environment
February 15th 2007 If we do not take action now, the UK will face increased water stress in the future.Yet in the UK we act as if water grows on trees.The amount we use per person,per day, is steadily rising: the average in England and Wales is 150 litres, equivalent to two large baths – and is as high as 160 litres in South East England.Of this, a third goes down the toilet, and another third is used for baths and showers
The UK has less water available per person than any other EU country apart from Belgium and Cyprus. London is drier than Istanbul, and the South East of England has less water available per person than the Sudan and Syria. Over the past few years South East of England has experienced the worst drought of the century. This is an indication of the impact of climate change and in the future there will be more floods and droughts. In addition, new housing programmes in the South East needed to cope with population shifts will place further pressure on the water supply network.
In September 2005,Waterwise was set up to reverse the upward trend in how much water we all use at home and at work. An independent NGO, Waterwise’s core funding originally came from the water companies, but is increasingly matched through partnerships with government and other NGOs. We work with domestic and industrial consumers of water, with product manufacturers and with Government and other policymakers on the regulatory framework.
Our key objective is to provide an economic case supported by hard evidence on the costs per litre of water saved through water efficiency measures. If we succeed, this should mean that water companies apply during the next price review in 2009 for funding from Ofwat (and are awarded it) for large-scale water efficiency projects like the refitting of a whole housing estate with water efficient bathrooms. In conjunction with Waterwise, water companies are beginning to conduct large scale pilot water efficiency trials of homes and businesses to build this evidence base.
Almost all water companies have undertaken a combination of self-audit and visit-and-fix schemes involving retrofitting fixtures and fittings, installing water efficient devices and providing educational material to residents to raise the awareness of the need to save water. Some have been researching the factors dictating shower duration and frequency and investigating whether a high flow/short shower is more acceptable than a low flow/longer shower.
Some water companies are looking into the feasibility of large scale toilet replacement schemes or the impact of variable tariffs and metering. Others are focussing more on the CO2 embedded in water as saving water, in turn saves energy. All water companies are working with schools, local authorities and businesses.
These efforts are encouraging, however, there must be a collective effort by everyone - industry, consumers, Government, regulators and others, not just water companies to save water. The key to water efficiency is reducing waste, not restricting use. Through small changes in behaviour, and the use of more water efficient products (many at low cost), we can all cut waste – making good economic, social and environmental sense at home and across the UK.
For more information and ways of saving water please visit www.waterwise.org.uk
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