The water savings are based on water meter data since the start of April 2023 and include repairs to underground leaks, along with introducing more water efficiency measures at sites.
It includes 100 million litres of water (100,000m3 of water) saved for a multi-site business in 2023.
Water Plus is highlighting the water volumes as part of its Be Wise On Water awareness-raising activity, which includes seasonal messaging around the importance of regular water pipe checks, including during colder months – and highlighting carbon emissions linked to all water that flows through sites in the UK.
Mark Taylor, Advanced Services Operations Manager, in England, at Water Plus, said: “Small changes in a business can lead to big water savings and reduce energy use and carbon emissions – all helping towards sustainability targets and goals and helping reduce impact on the environment. There are carbon emissions linked to water that’s used at a site, so the wider benefits from making what’s used go further can be tracked through a number of ways.”
One site that was tracking its water use in 2023, saw water use increase to 7,200 litres an hour (7.2m3 cubic metres of water) and contacted Water Plus. This would mean 172,800 litres used in 24 hours.
The Advanced Services team at Water Plus, that provide a range of Value Added Services, arranged an initial visit to the site which found 600 litres of water was being used every 5 minutes.
The leak was located on a pipe underground, near a car park at the site and a repair was carried out.
Once the repair was made, use dropped to 17 litres every 5 minutes.
The volume of water lost at the site from when the site noticed an increase – and a repair being completed by Water Plus, at the most convenient time for the site – was 4.5 million litres of water. That would be 1.65 tonnes of CO2e, based on published Conversion Factor for water and wastewater and assuming 95% Return to Sewer. The water loss would cost around £14,000 in a month.
Mark Taylor, Advanced Services Operations Manager, in England, at Water Plus, said: “Small changes in a business can lead to big water savings and reduce energy use and carbon emissions – all helping towards sustainability targets and goals and helping reduce impact on the environment. There are carbon emissions linked to water that’s used at a site, so the wider benefits from making what’s used go further can be tracked through a number of ways.
“Being proactive with your site water is the best approach to improve your business resilience, reducing risks of interruptions to your business and limit any additional costs from areas of water waste. In 2023, as with other years, we’ve seen again where organisations are looking closer at water, they can get to grips with any issues early and many are seeing the benefits of adding more ways to track where water’s being used.
“Where less hot water is used, or less moved across sites then there are energy savings too. The site seeing 600 litres being used in the space of 5 minutes in July 2023 saw a payback within days for the repair work needed.”
Water Plus provides water and wastewater billing and customer service, along with a range of technical water services and information around water efficiency, for organisations of all sizes. Water meters are not always in easy-to-access locations where businesses can take readings safely, so technology that helps to track readings can be useful there too, particularly if when a business has a number of sites.
In its awareness raising and engagement work with organisations, Water Plus has also helped a range of more than 40 sites in England, including in the public sector and food and drink businesses, see an average 34.6% water-saving in 2023, after water efficiency devices were installed.
Water Plus has won 16 awards, since October 2022, including a UK Customer Satisfaction Award in 2023, a Best Business Water Retailer award, two National Sustainability Awards, eight Green Apple Environment Awards and a Global Gold for Water Management in the Green World Awards 2023, for work with organisations around their water use and its steps to increase water efficiency, help reduce water waste and support projects that help communities.
In November, 2023, it won Gold for Carbon Reduction in the Green Apple Environment Awards 2023 – and it’s a Finalist for two UK Customer Satisfaction Awards in 2024.
More tips around water-saving and wider benefits from tracking use more during a year are available at: www.water-plus.co.uk/better-ways-with-water .
Additional notes:
360,000m3 of water was saved since April 2023, based on water meter data at sites in England and Scotland. There are 1,000 litres in a cubic metre of water (m3). Carbon emissions based on Conversion Factors for m3 water and wastewater published June 2023. 132.4 tonnes of CO2 based on 95% Return to Sewer.
