2.8. Water, water, not everywhere
Key Takeaways 2.7
In a nutshell
Water is a precious commodity so please don’t waste it.
Calculate how much money you may be losing from inefficiencies.
case study
Woodfire Camping: How water constraints became part of their design philosophy
Rather than letting the lack of a mains water connection stop the venture, site owners Griff and Stella saw an opportunity to use this to shape every element of their food-led campsite on the South Downs in Sussex. And it was the discipline of designing within water limits that gave the team confidence to apply the same thinking to areas of operation such as food and supply.
Find out more by visiting the Woodfire Camping case study - and you too might start seeing constraints as opportunities.
Improving water efficiency
In the UK, it is estimated that each person, on average, uses 150 litres of water per day. If everyone adopted more water-saving habits, this could easily be reduced to 100 litres per day, and businesses can play a big part.
Here are a few things you can do to help.
1. Analyse Water Consumption Do you monitor your water usage on a monthly basis? 2. Look out for Water Leaks Do you have a system for checking regularly for dripping taps and leaky toilets?
We lose three billion litres of water a day in England and Wales due to water leaks, and many of these can be costly to businesses. A dripping tap can waste an average of 13 litres a day, and a leaking toilet can waste 400 litres a day. (WWT.org.uk)
3. Install water efficient toilets Have you installed dual-flush or low flush toilets?
Toilets represent over 30% of water usage in the workplace. If your building is open to the public, this can be even more substantial.
4. Install Efficient Taps Do you have water efficient taps?
Make sure all your hand basin taps are on auto shut-off. Aerators spread the stream of water coming out of your tap into tiny droplets, which prevents splashing and saves water.
5. Fill the Dishwasher Do newly purchased dishwashers consume less than 3.5 litres per basket?
Always wash a full load of dishes to gain maximum water efficiency. If possible, change to a water efficient dishwasher, which uses the minimal amount of water necessary.
6. Don’t Waste Drinking Water Do you keep jugs of water in the fridge or have you installed a water fountain that serves cold drinking water?
Many people waste water by letting the tap run cold before filling up their glass.
7. Make use of Rainwater Is rainwater collected and used for suitable purposes, such as watering plants?
Note: a sprinkler uses around 1,000 litres of water an hour, so use collected rainwater if you can. (WWT.org.uk)
Water efficiency checklist.pdf
Download your own copy of the water efficiency checklist to tick off the steps you've already taken and see if there are more ways you could reduce your water usage.