Save water in your business and save energy and money too
August 1st 2008

The business sector accounts for 1/3 of the total water use within the UK.

Therefore it is essential that businesses develop their water conservation practices in order to achieve long term sustainable supply and protect our environment writes Jacob Tompkins,director,Waterwise

here are many simple and some more complex changes that businesses can make in order to reduce water consumption.

The biggest challenge to achieving water efficiency is that water use is not the core business for any industry, manufacturing or other business sector and often forms such a small part of the total expenditure. However, businesses can save substantial amounts of money by reducing water consumption and using water wisely. Although water is certainly not one of the largest input costs for a business it is growing and it can be easily reduced.Water can cost a company around 1-2% of its turnover. For a company with a turnover of £1 million that is £10- 20,000 a year. For a small company this is a considerable sum, which can be reduced relatively easily.

Water conservation will have fringe benefits for your business.

Saving water will reduce energy bills associated with heating and pumping, in many cases the financial savings on energy could be greater than the savings on water.

There could also be savings in staff time and materials as processes become more efficient overall.

Conducting a water audit will help with compliance with current and future legislation.There will also be benefits to your reputation as a socially and environmentally responsible business, which will be appreciated by clients, investors, the public and your staff.

In order to drastically reduce water consumption an industry could introduce recycling and reuse options or capture rainwater for use around the plant. Smaller businesses can achieve realistic savings by using smart metering to detect water consumption targets and retrofitting or replacing old water appliances.Often the most cost effective and sustainable way to save water at your workplace is by raising staff awareness.

Saving water in business can begin by appointing a water champion to develop a water management strategy and conducting a water audit.This is simply a balance sheet of where you get your water from, how much is used, where it is used, what is it used for and where the water goes to.This will enable you to spot discrepancies, leaks and areas for savings. Once you have this information you can start to set targets for improvements in water efficiency and take action. Alongside the targets should be methods for how they can be achieved, and also how they can be monitored and recorded.

A survey of business customers conducted by Thames Water showed that more than three quarters of offices were probably using too much water. It estimated that half the offices it supplies could easily cut their consumption by 25% and some could save an amazing 75%.There are some simple quick tips which can be carried out to reduce water wastage, such as fixing dripping taps and overflowing cisterns, retrofitting taps and showerheads, adapting toilets to work at a lower flush and fitting urinal controls.

Businesses can also learn ways to save water at the Waterwise Annual conference – the only conference in the UK dedicated to water efficiency.

For more information and for sponsorship details visit www.waterwise.org.uk

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