UGP and Water Saving Week 2021: 10 Steps Businesses Can Take to Save Water
Water Saving Week is an annual online event aiming to raise awareness of the issues around water use. The average water used per person per day is 143 litres in England and Wales, 165 litres in Scotland and 145 litres in Northern Ireland. It is incredibly important that we conserve water usage, but what can businesses do to help?
Using water efficiently means that we can minimise the amount of additional water resources being taken out of our rivers and aquifers, especially as demands are rising. This protects our water resources and the wildlife that live in them and rely on them for their survival.
“With population growth, changing weather patterns including hotter summers and drier winters, water is becoming increasingly vulnerable to scarcity, even in the UK. By 2040, we expect more than half of our summers to exceed 2003 temperatures. That will mean more water shortages: by 2050, the amount of water available could be reduced by 10-15%, with some rivers seeing 50%-80% less water during the summer months. It will mean higher drought risk, caused by the hotter drier summers and less predictable rainfall. On the present projections, many parts of our country will face significant water deficits by 2050, particularly in the south east where much of the UK population lives. ” Sir James Bevan, Jaws of Death Speech.
By implementing water efficiencies businesses can not only save on costs but help to comply with current and future environmental legislation, reduce its carbon footprint, improve your company’s environmental performance and generate positive PR.
So here are some top tips to help your business save water;
1) Knowledge is power
Educate your employees on the importance and practices of water efficiency. Try and set water usage targets and encourage widespread involvement to achieve this.
2) Upgrades
In large businesses major cost savings can be gained through installation of; urinal controls or waterless urinals, efficient flush toilets and automatic or sensor taps.
3) Check
Check your meters at night or when no water is being used to monitor leakage.
4) Protect
Make sure your pipes are protected against cold weather as leakage can increase after a burst pipe due to frost.
5) Go eco
Don’t forget your office kitchens either. Installing automatic taps or spray taps can help make a big difference to consumption levels. Check whether your appliances have an eco setting, and use them if they do.
6) Research
Research water recycling schemes. They are often more viable in business settings than domestic settings. Determine where your wasted water is going and if or how you can recycle it in other areas of your business.
7) Full or no
Try and only run the dishwasher once a day or at least ensure it is full.
8) Quick fix
Ensure any leaks or issues or reported and fixed as quickly as possible.
9) Fresh air
Wherever possible use natural ventilation or fans.
10) Office plants
If you have a garden use a water butt to collect rainwater and use that to water any plants etc.
Although we tend to think of the UK as perpetually damp and soggy – that’s just not the case anymore. Last spring was one of the driest ever recorded in the UK. Climate change is ushering in longer periods of dry weather and, combined with population growth and changes in lifestyle, this has led to growing pressure being put on our water supplies.
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