Making water efficiency part of your future
March 04th 2008 The Government’s new water strategy for England released in February, Future Water, has brought the true value of water into the headlines once again. Environment secretary Hilary Benn issued a clarion call to water companies,industry and homeowners saying “we must find ways of improving efficiency and reducing demand and wastage.” 1
For business owners, therefore, now is certainly the time to act before opportunities to maximise resource efficiency and secure valuable cost savings are missed. For example, the costs of water supply and effluent discharge are likely to increase year-onyear, and could see further rises as companies seek to meet the costs of complying with stricter European Directives such as Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC).
Yet through its work with dozens of companies on the Big Splash water efficiency campaign Envirowise has seen industrial sites in particular that have not previously examined their water consumption make savings on water and effluent bills of up to 30%, often with little initial financial investment.There can also be a knock-on effect of reducing the volume of effluent discharged, thereby potentially cutting trade effluent charges. (See Envirowise Mogden Formula Tool below).
Some water conservation measures can also enable the recovery of raw materials or product from process or cleaning chemicals, which may have been previously lost in the effluent stream. This will have the added benefit of lowering effluent strength and consequently trade effluent charges even further. Plus, companies can also make savings on the hidden costs associated with water use, by reducing pumping or heating less water – all of which can help make a difference to the bottom line and cut carbon emissions too.
So how does a company go about putting into place an effective approach to water management?
Knowledge is the key to achieving this.Many companies are unaware of exactly how much water is supplied to their sites and,crucially, the quantity that is used.Without knowing exactly how much is being used it is difficult to identify potential savings.As a basic first step, businesses should consider the following:
• Where does the business use water?
• How much water are we using?
• Are we using too much?
• Are we paying too much in wastewater charges?
• Have we tried saving water?
• Could we take further action?
• Have our competitors implemented water-saving measures?
A water balance is highly recommended to reveal precisely how, where and why water is being used across the company’s operation. The balance should contain a review of the patterns of water use, as well as wastewater discharges and routes to sewer. Important points to address include excessive, unnecessary, unknown, and unauthorised usage and where clean or unauthorised water discharges directly to the sewer. It is also worth considering whether savings can be made on sewerage charges
Once a water balance has been established and water use in each area is accounted for, water saving opportunities and projected cost-savings can be identified. Assembling a water minimisation team is recommended to ensure principles are embedded both within company policy and at a day-to-day level.
To get started, there are many simple good-practice measures that can then be put into place. One idea is to help raise staff awareness by posting up weekly readings from water meters so employees are aware of trends in usage. Indeed, keeping regular records of water usage also allows the company to review the success of any water minimisation practice and helps to prevent irregular consumption.
Leakage is a common but preventable problem.Regular monitoring means that leaks are more easily identified and can be repaired immediately, thereby avoiding inconvenient and potentially costly flooding.
A good system of cleaning and plant washing is important if water is to be effectively conserved. Fitting hoses with triggers is a simple and low-cost measure, or some companies may wish to consider investing in aircleaning systems to replace rinsing and cut waste further.
The re-use of rinse water is another method that can result in savings.Wash water is often flushed down the drain on the basis that it has been ‘used’. Careful examination of the quality and availability of the resource, together with an understanding of water requirements elsewhere onsite, can often reveal opportunities for re-use. Rather than simply metering water use as a whole, Envirowise recommends installing meters on each process line. This provides a company with a more accurate knowledge of water use throughout the site.
To help firms take practical steps towards water efficiency and reduction, Envirowise has developed a series of online water tools available at www.envirowise.gov.uk/watertools Business owners can access a Water Monitoring Tool which can help them to easily record and track where water is being used in their company, and analyse the findings. The Water Account Tool then also allows users to compare their water consumption with other businesses in the same sector.
Detailed water advice leaflets are also available free to download for a range of areas including reducing water use in catering areas and laundries, plus tackling leaks and making the most of water efficient technologies for showers, taps and toilets.
Finally, Envirowise is currently calling for companies to express interest in taking part in the next Big Splash water efficiency campaign during 2008/9. Big Splash provides businesses with access to free specialist advice, workshops and interactive online tools, as well as confidential telephone advice. To find out more, businesses should call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794 or visit www.envirowise.gov.uk
Managing Effluent Costs – Mogden Formula Tool
The Mogden Formula calculates the charges that water companies apply to industry for the conveyance and treatment of effluents that are discharged to sewer. It links the charges to cost imposed, so that customers pay according to the volume and strength of the effluent they discharge.
Envirowise has produced a free online Mogden Forumla Tool which allows users to assess the impact of modifying specific aspects of effluent on the cost to discharge. For instance, the flow, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids (SS) can all be altered independently to investigate whether a preliminary treatment system may be a cost-effective option to consider.
The Excel-based tool allows you to use either water company’s standard tariffs or enter your own industrial tariff and includes the updated trade effluent charges, which were applied across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The tool is available free of charge at www.envirowise.gov.uk/water.
Footnotes:
1) www.defra.gov.uk/Environment/water/strategy/index.htm More articles from Envirowise: | 
