The key to water efficiency
February 15th 2007 There were 38 million people living in the UK at the beginning of the 1900s each using no more than 50 litres of water per day.Now,however,we are 60 million strong and growing and each of us uses more than 150 litres each of water per day.This is a massive hike.
The DCLG/Defra ‘Water Efficiency in New Buildings Consultation Document’ containing proposals for new homes, extensive renovations and new commercial buildings in England and Wales released in December 2006 clearly earmarks Government’s preferences. These include a performance standard for new dwellings set between 120 and 135 litres of water per person per day; a component based approach with maximum standards for key fittings; or, a do nothing approach, which it says is not a viable option.
The topic is gathering momentum, particularly with Tony Blair’s warning issued in January stating that we must reduce water usage and to achieve that aim the Government could resort to water metering, price structures and demand management programmes.
The challenge to the Bathroom Industry is to produce water saving products that discerning specifiers will want to include in a domestic or commercial building.We have to ‘deliver the experience’ remembering that the key to water efficiency is reducing waste, not restricting use, and the best way to achieve this is by working together.
To assist specifiers in identifying water efficient products, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association’s (BMA) water efficiency website www.bathroom-association.org has a Product Selector covering taps, showers, WCs, urinals and other products.
Tap products all deliver a maximum of six litres per minute at two bar pressure and include spray taps; spray mixing taps; automatic shut off taps; and, electromagnetically operated taps.
In the shower group, flow is restricted to a maximum of nine litres per minute at three bar pressure and include low flow showerheads; aerated showerheads; thermostatic controlled shower sets with a shut off thermostatic mixing valve enabling the control of water flow and the impact climate change will have on water bills, but as the picture becomes clearer, water companies expect climate change to be a major influence on future investment and price reviews.
Impacts will vary across the UK but will most likely include less available water due to changing rainfall patterns and more frequent droughts; lower quality water due to reduced river flows; more frequent sewer overflows due to violent storms; and, lost or damaged works due to coastal erosion and rise in sea level. The South East, which accommodates a sixth of the Britain’s population, could be the worst affected.
We need to take action now and start doing everything we can to cut down our waste, beginning with following the guidance offered on the BMA website and installing water efficient products.
We can only make a difference if we all pull together.
The Bathroom Manufacturers Association is the trade association for bathroom manufacturers operating in the UK. Its authority is underlined by a membership that represents more than 80% of the mainstream bathroom business undertaken within the UK.The BMA is involved in all aspects of the bathroom industry and its activity in 2006 will focus on Water Efficiency, Special Needs and Training, Education & Qualifications. Water UK is the industry association that represents all UK water and wastewater service suppliers at national and European level. http://www.water.org.uk
Water metering in the UK stands at around 28%, and is growing by two per cent year on a voluntary basis. Defra statistics show that water savings made from metering are around 10% for a typical household.
For additional data, the BMA has a series of presentations delivered at the BMA October 2006 Conference themed ‘Precious Water – Water Pressures’ delivered by Defra, the Consumer Council for Water, Three Valleys Water, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Construction Products Association, the Bank of England and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation. These presentations are available upon request and contain very useful data. For information on all of the BMA activities visit: www.bathroom-association.org More articles from The Bathroom Manufacturers Assoc: | 
