Making it easy to be more water efficient
March 04th 2008

During 2007, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) moved its water efficiency initiatives forward in leaps and bounds with the launch of a new labelling scheme created to make it easier for everyone from specifiers to end users to identify and select water efficient bathroom products

In last year’s Water Efficient Solutions, the BMA highlighted its stance on water efficiency, claiming that the challenge to the Bathroom Industry was to produce water saving products that discerning specifiers and buyers would want. In the article, the BMA also offered help to readers in selecting water efficient products via the Product Selector on the website www.bathroom-association.org and stated that all parties must work together if we are to reduce waste and save water and energy.

A lot can happen in a short period of time and boy did it happen at the BMA! Shortly after last year’s article was printed, the BMA decided to launch a Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme, offering easier product selection and an informed choice to all involved in the purchase and selection of bathroom products.

Months in the making, the BMA Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme is voluntary and industry-led and is open to all companies, not just BMA members, producing and selling water efficient bathroom products for the UK market, provided they meet the Scheme’s stringent criteria for volumes and flow rates.

Initially the Scheme covers WC suites, independent flushing cisterns, taps and combination tap assemblies, shower controls and baths and achieves several aims including helping Government meet its water consumption reduction targets, raising awareness of water efficient bathroom products and promoting the importance of water efficiency.

The BMA believes the launch of its Scheme is extremely timely considering how water efficiency is climbing the political agenda. There are various changes afoot including potential modifications to Building Regulations and Water Fittings Regulations. There’s also the possible requirement for all new homes receiving public partnerships funding to meet Code Level 3 being extended to all new MOD housing contracts, plus the possibility that the NHS will be encouraged to require Code Level 3 when commissioning new buildings.

The Scheme website is available at www.water-efficiencylabel.org.uk and offers a plethora of information about the Scheme and water efficiency. The website sets out the process companies must go through to register products, the criteria products must meet to be considered for registration, random product testing procedures, how and where the label must be used and what happens if a company is found to be in breach of the Scheme.

Companies wishing to register product can download the necessary documentation from the Scheme website and those who need to source product can access the database of registered Scheme products, which already exceeds 300.

The BMA Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme has received strong support from the Bathroom Industry at large and other stakeholders including water companies,Waterwise and Defra.

Commenting on the Scheme, Phil Woolas, Minister of State for the Environment says: “I am delighted by the BMA’s initiative. It is very important that customers are aware of the ways to save water. Labelling on energy efficient products already informs customer choices on products such as fridges and freezers. This recent announcement by the BMA is a very welcome development, which will begin to extend customer choice not only for householders but for developers and installers. It will also help more generally to raise awareness about the importance of treating water as a valuable resource.”

But labels alone will not change patterns of behaviour and that’s what’s really needed. The BMA regards its Scheme to be just one piece of the jigsaw and believes that for any significant changes to be made all parties must work together.

The BMA can encourage manufacturers to be innovative and produce water efficient products that deliver the experience and sense of design that end users want and expect. However, unless end users change their behaviour and all parties communicate the correct message via a joined up, sustained campaign, we will not see the necessary water consumption reduction the Government is aiming for.

A water efficient product only remains water efficient if installed and used correctly and research conducted by the BMA shows that consumers are only willing to ‘do their bit’ if they feel water companies, for example, are also prepared to help solve the problem by repairing leaks and replacing pipes where necessary.

According to the BMA research, other measures that would go a long way to reduce water wastage include compulsory metering, particularly in water stressed areas, and incentives to drive sales of water efficient products, which in turn would encourage manufacturers to produce more of them.

There’s never been a more crucial time to be water efficient. It could be argued that the growth in water demand is becoming unsustainable.Average household demand is up by about 55 per cent during the last 25 years and continues to increase, largely due to the rise in the number and range of household appliances, frequency of use and changes in household size.

Unfortunately, at least for now, consumers have a low awareness of water efficient appliances and products and tend to use water freely, without any consideration about whether supplies are limited or stretched or whether there is any environmental impact.

The ageing population is another factor that will have an impact on water usage. The number of households has increased by 30% in the last 30 years and forecasters predict that the UK will need an extra 220,000 households each year for the next 20 years. To top it all off the majority of these will need to be single person households and water use in a single person household is typically 40% higher than the average per capita consumption in a two person household.

The Bathroom Industry is striving to help Government achieve its overall water consumption reduction target from 150 litres per person per day to 105 litres per person per day for Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Levels 3 and 4; and, 120 litres per person per day for CSH Level 1. Now we must work together to engage, educate, enable, and encourage and ultimately make it easy for people to become more water efficient, always remembering that the key to water efficiency is reducing waste, not restricting use.

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