Water Saving Week underlines the urgent need for everyone to use less

We’re supporting Water Saving Week which kicks off today to build on the UN’s World Water Day at the weekend.

Water Saving Week 2015 Mr Splosh logo

It’s easy to forget how precious this resource is and why we need to take more care with it. We tend to focus on the other growing environmental pressures and take water for granted.

But saving water is essential although it does not often feel that important for many of us. The easy and trusted supply means that we often do not think too much at all about how much we use.

While this is changing, particularly for those of us who have water meters that are a constant financial reminder of the need to manage water consumption, the fact is that we use an astonishing amount in our homes, businesses and organisations.

At home for example, we each use roughly 1,050 litres of water every week and the actual figure we’re each responsible for is around 23,800 litres a week, when usage involved in our food productions and other consumables is factored in, according to data from Waterwise, the organisers of Water Saving Week (hashtag: #watersavingweek).

Water resources

Waterwise says that there is cause for concern about our consumption habits because the UK is actually quite hard pressed for water resources, when compared to many other countries in the EU, with the South East in particular under strain. The not-for-profit organisation advises that this part of the country has less water per person available than the Sudan.

The pressures are increasing as our habits change, and the population grows while our weather conditions appear to be more unpredictable. Our average consumption per person has been increasing by around 1% every year for the past 85 years and this is not sustainable.

And we need to remember that our water use at home also has a big effect on energy bills and the climate with heating and pumping responsible for about a quarter of our annual household gas and electricity costs, which also adds to CO2 emissions – as does the energy used by the water companies for treatment and pumping.

So being smart about using water is the way to go and it’s surprisingly easy to cut consumption dramatically without having to diminish the quality of daily life. The less hot water you use, the lower your bills will be – and if you are metered, every drop saved is great for your household budget. Both also have a massive positive effect on carbon footprint.

Three tips to save water

It seems incredible, but you can immediately cut your water use in a dramatic way by investing in three simple solutions – eco showers, eco taps and tap aerators.

The EcoSmart shower head has an ingenious method of mixing air into the water flow so that the shower experience is made less pleasant but at the same time it reduces water use by more than 50%. And timing the shower to limit how long you spend under it is another great way to cut consumption,

The shower head choice is important as some power showers can actually use more water than running a full bath. Our showers account for a quarter of home water use.

Choosing eco taps that blend air with water flow in a way similar to the eco shower head will also reduce water consumption by 50% or more and the “champagne effect” of the aerated water is a nice bonus.

If you want to keep your current taps, then quality tap aerators are a really effective way to reduce water use by more than half.

Quick payback

Beyond the home, businesses and public sector organisations can take action to reduce water use through these simple solutions that have very quick payback times. For example, we worked with

The Hotel Collection group on a national roll out of a water saving strategy that has drastically reduced consumption across the 21 UK properties, with payback inside eight months, which will save hundreds of thousands of pounds year after year.

We’re also working closely with Anglian Water Business to provide their customers with water and energy saving solutions – and best advice to cut consumption and costs.

It does not take much effort to make big saving in water use, whether you are in a business, an organisation or thinking about what you do at home – there’s never been a better or more pressing time to take action.

For Water Saving Week, we’re offering free flow bags to help you measure your water consumption. These are great tools to show where you can make best savings and are really easy to use. Call us on 0333 123 5464.

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