Business. Small changes Big savings

Transcription

1 Business Small changes Big savings

2 Introduction Southern Water s drive for the more efficient use of water has been brought about by the increasing demands made on our water resources, driven by changing lifestyles, increasing population numbers and climatic change. We regard water efficiency as a partnership with all our customers, because each of us can play an important role in helping to preserve the environment. Sensible conservation measures and good management programmes can help towards sustainable use of our water resources. However, water conservation is also advantageous in financial terms. Effective water management can save you large sums of money. Where no previous attempt has been made to save water, financial savings of 20%-30% can be achieved at little on no extra cost. Savings of over 70% of total water costs have been known, with the initial financial outlay recovered within a year. How to use this pack This pack has been designed to help businesses to: Measure their use of water Review their use and associated costs Understand how to improve their water efficiency and implement the improvements Monitor the resulting use and prevent deterioration There are basic steps to help businesses towards better management of their water costs. These are described in section 1. Section 2 contains a do-it-yourself water audit, which forms a part of the strategy described below. We also listed manufacturers and suppliers of water efficiency products (section 4), along with further useful contacts to help you obtain comprehensive help and information (section 5). 2

3 SECTION 1: Simple steps to help your business improve its water efficiency Identify a water management champion and involve staff To make it a success, a senior person should be made responsible for looking after water management and driving through the improvements. Continuity is vital, as without a constant monitoring and maintenance any improvements are likely to deteriorate and savings will be lost. Staff involvement in the process is also useful in generating water saving ideas. Carry out a simple water audit Look at your water bills this will give you an idea of how much you pay in standing charges, how much water you use, and how much your wastewater charges are. For offices divide your annual water use by the number of full time equivalent employees to get your consumption per person. If annual water use is greater than about 9.3m 3 /person then there is plenty of scope for improvement. Look out for trends. Increasing consumption may indicate leaks. The more water you use, the more you return to sewers, therefore managing your water use will also cut your wastewater costs. The audit in section 2 will help you to review your water use and suggest where efficiencies can be made. Set targets for improvements Once leaks have been fixed set targets for further improvements. Make your targets manageable. The audit in section 2 will help you understand how to improve your water use it is designed to help you identify water wastage and to record actions. Benchmarking is important as it highlights problems such as leaks and faulty or absent urinal controllers and helps to see where you stand in comparison to others. Achieving a 50% reduction in water use might seem an impressive achievement but if your water use was three times what is typical then far greater savings are easily possible. The typical water use for offices, and factories (excluding process water) is about 9.3 m 3 /full-time person/year. Analysis of water use by 500 public sector offices ( found that half used 9.3m 3 /full-time person/year and this is proposed as a typical benchmark. 25% of offices used 6.4m 3 /p/year or less and this is proposed as good practice. Water use of less than 5m 3 /person/year represents best practice and is readily achievable without special technologies. 3

4 For offices: Typical water use Good practice Best Practice 9.3 m 3 /FTE (full-time equivalent person) 6.4 m 3 /FTE <5 m 3 /FTE Larger sites and factories using process water should consider fitting low-cost sub-meters to identify where water is used. Some routine water use, for example daily washdown, can be estimated by using a bucket and stopwatch to measure flow rate and multiplying this figure by the time water flows each day. Even simple investigations can prove surprising and assumptions about where most water is used are often proved wrong by simple calculations. Envirowise (formerly Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme), provides practical environmental advice for business and has produced a wealth of publications designed to help businesses reduce waste and improve environmental performance. Many publications consider water use for specific types of businesses. Please see section 5 for contact details. Next, formulate a plan for improvements. Review your needs, decide what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it; review your available resources. Set your targets to be achievable you can always review them later. Many companies choose to report on their achievements whether internally to their staff, via company s magazine or notice board, or more formally, in an annual report. Decide whether and how you are going to report your progress. Achieve your targets Section 4 contains the list of water efficiency product suppliers to assist you in choosing the most effective ways of saving water and money. Section 5 contains useful contacts and sources of further information to help you with your improvements. If you have difficulties with completing the audit, do contact us, or the other organisations listed in section 5, for help and advice. Report the outcome Although not strictly necessary, reporting your performance demonstrates your commitment and helps communicate your achievements to the rest of the company and beyond. It is often easier to monitor the progress and review the targets if reporting forms a part of the whole process. Repeat the cycle Nothing ever stands still and the technological advances mean that by the time the cycle is completed new water saving technologies may be available at a reasonable cost, to improve your water efficiency even further. For the savings to be sustained the water saving measures and fittings adopted need to be maintained and looked after. It makes sense, therefore, to keep repeating the cycle of monitoring, reviews and target setting to ensure that the water and financial savings are not lost. 4

5 SECTION 2: Self audit checklist Checking for underground pipe leaks (i) Locate your meter(s) and internal stop tap(s). The main meter is normally located in the footpath. (ii) Close the internal stop tap(s). The stop tap is normally positioned where the service pipe enters the building. (iii) Is the meter now stationary? If yes, there is no leakage in the pipework between the meter and the stop tap. If no, Southern Water provides its business customers with up to three hours free leak detection work. Phone For peace of mind and convenient monitoring of your water use consider installing a meter outreader/leak alarm system. 5

6 Using the meter to check for internal plumbing leaks (i) Open the internal stop tap during a period of no water use and recheck the meter. Is the meter stationary? If yes, there is no serious internal leakage. If no, check internal pipe joints, appliances, fittings and warning pipes for leaks. A more sensitive test can be carried out with the meter read last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Any water use should be accounted for by a process of elimination eg turning off urinals. Some leaks can be difficult to find - for example leaking safety valves on under-sink water heaters which often discharge direct to a drain. Meter reading/accounts records (i) Do you compare your water account with previous periods to check for abnormal water consumption? An increasing consumption may indicate a leak. Check your account to ensure there are no unexplained increases. (ii) Is your consumption what you would expect for the size and nature of your business? Typical use for an office or factory is about 9 m 3 /person/year. There are several other benchmarks available - please see section 1 of this booklet. How does your consumption compare with these figures? (iii) Do you read your meter regularly? Regular readings over a period of time can quickly show a trend which may indicate the presence of a leak. 6

7 (iv) Is your meter data-logged? Southern Water data-logs the meters of some large businesses, providing continuous graphical consumption information. Contact us to see if your meter is data-logged and, if so, we will share the information with you. Assessing plumbing appliances/fittings for water efficiency The Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme allows businesses to claim 100% of the cost of approved items listed on the Water Technology List (including installation) against taxable profit in the first year. Call the Environment and Energy Helpline on or visit (i) Are the urinals fitted with water efficient controls? Automatic flushing of urinals when they have not been used is one of the largest wastes of water and one of the cheapest to stop. Chesswood School saved over 60% of the total water use by fitting passive infra-red controls, which paid for themselves within months. If controllers are fitted it is important to check that they are operating correctly and that the water use is as specified in the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulation There are now also several waterless urinals on the market. Please see the list of suppliers at the back of this booklet. 7

8 (ii) Are the WC cisterns operating efficiently? Check the level in the cistern is correctly adjusted. Check warning pipes regularly for overflows. Try fitting Save-a-Flush Bags (free from Southern Water to its water supply customers) to reduce the flush volume. If you are thinking of refurbishing your washrooms consider replacing existing toilets with efficient models. The Water Technology List ( contains only approved WCs with an effective flush of 4.5 litres or less. Please refer to Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 for requirements. Our Water Regulations Inspectors will be happy to advise. See contacts in section 5. (iii) Are all taps drip free? Dripping taps can waste large volumes of water. Renew all washers immediately the drip is noticed as it only gets worse, wasting more money and water. There are tap valves on the market, which reduce flow and eliminate the need for changing washers. (iv) Do staff sometimes leave taps running? You can retro-fit self-closing taps to prevent waste. These can be adjusted to the required duration. Many models have in-built flow restrictors, which can further reduce waste 6 litres per minute is plenty. Spray taps save even more water and energy. Good quality sprays and flow adjusted to under 2 litres per minute gives good performance without splashing. For a cost effective option consider spray inserts to existing taps. When installing new taps choose good quality models with standard metric outlets to allow a full choice of sprays or aerators to be fitted. 8

9 (v) Is the flow of water from taps excessive? 6 litres per minute is adequate for washing hands. In-line servicing valves with flow restriction reduce the wastage, and make maintenance easier. Some tap valves also reduce flow, and eliminate the problem of dripping taps. (vi) Showers Where showers are used frequently, push button controls, proximity sensors or time mechanisms help reduce waste. Low flow showerheads reduce the flow to below 9 litres per minute helping to make further savings. Internal pipework (i) Are the pipes unnecessarily long? Long pipe runs to hot water taps or showers allow heated water to cool and this is often run to waste as users wait for hot water to come through. To save water and energy consider rationalising the pipework or installing point of use heaters. Check that pipes are efficiently lagged. Locate and label your internal stop-tap. Burst pipes cause damage, loss of water and productivity. (ii) Is the pressure at the minimal level for your needs? Fit a pressure regulator or local flow regulators some water use is flow, rather than volume related. In-line flow regulators are low cost and can be fitted at point of use and deliver a constant flow rate regardless of normal pressure variations. Models are available for 15 and 22mm pipe as well as larger industrial models for process water. 9

10 Process water (i) Do you recycle water? Could some process water be recycled for other uses, e.g. irrigation, cleaning? This may also lead to a reduction in your trade effluent charges. If water is used for cooling purposes, and this runs to waste, consider fitting a heat exchanger. (ii) Can the process use be minimised? Are all activities essential? It is often possible to replace the use of hose with spray guns, or dry cleaning alternatives. Flow restricting valves can also reduce water use considerably. Grounds/gardens (iii) Is there a water use associated with garden/grounds maintenance? Water butts provide a cheap way to collect rainwater, which is also better for plants than tap water. See our website, for special offers on waterbutts. Choose plants that don t need watering for landscaped areas. Southern Water s Water Efficient Garden at Bewl Water Visitor Centre in Kent has many examples of drought resistant plants, which make the garden look good, but do not require much water. Please see our website for details. Use mulch or chipped bark to reduce water losses and prevent water thirsty weeds. Do not water plants during times of high evaporation. For larger uses consider a rainwater recycling system. 10

11 iv) Are damp patches visible in the grounds? Unusual damp patches may indicate an underground leak. Southern Water provides up to three hours free leak detection service for its customers. Early warning devices for leak detection are available and can be fitted to pulsed output meters. Catering facilities Is there a canteen/kitchen on the premises? Consider how water is used and where it could be saved. When replacing appliances choose water efficient models. Refer to manufacturers data or Consumer Association literature for details. If the canteen is contracted out, consider charging the contractor for water used to encourage efficiency. Good housekeeping Are staff aware of the need to conserve water? Try to encourage them to be water wise. Set targets for unit consumption and review periodically. Appoint a water efficiency champion. Use posters to keep the message fresh. Get staff involved in generating water saving ideas. 11

12 Your Next Steps Now you have completed the checklist, the next stage is to implement the actions/comments arising from the audit. STEP 1 If you suspect that you have an underground leak from your supply pipe, but cannot locate it, contact Southern Water on to arrange for up to three hours free leak detection. STEP 2 Arrange for the repair of pipes, fittings and appliances that leak or wastewater as noted in the action column of the check list. You will need to use your own maintenance team or call in a plumber to do this. STEP 3 Use the list of manufacturers and suppliers in section 4 of this pack to help choose water efficient devices and fittings to upgrade your premises, or contact us for help. STEP 4 If you have difficulties in carrying out the audit, or have queries requiring technical advice, we may be able to help. There are also many other organisations providing specialist help. For contact details see section 5 of this booklet. STEP 5 If you require billing information to determine consumption trends or compare your use with other similar types of business please contact Southern Water on Finally Please remember that all water fittings must comply with Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulation For further help and advice please see section 5. 12

13 SECTION 3: Suppliers and manufacturers of water efficiency products This list is not exhaustive and inclusion does not constitute a recommendation. The Water Technology List ( includes a continually updated list of approved water efficient products such as WCs urinal controllers, taps, flow regulators and leakage detection and monitoring. The Environment Agency publication 'Conserving Water in Buildings' (available free, see Contacts in section 5) provides detailed information on a wide range of technologies and includes a comprehensive list of manufacturers and suppliers. Many companies provide more than one water efficiency product. To avoid repeating the same data, the products listed below are number coded. The list of manufacturers that follows has the code numbers against each manufacturer/supplier to indicate which product they provide. Example: Aquaflow Regulators Ltd (7) provide flow reduction products. Improvement product list TAPS Passive infrared controls 1 Push top taps 2 Retro fit push top taps 3 Tap products 4 SHOWER Passive infrared controls 5 Push button controls 6 FLOW REDUCTION 7 URINALS Passive infrared controls 8 Waterless urinals 9 Water efficient toilets 10 ENVIRONMENT 13 Water butts and rain harvesting systems 11 Leakage identification 12

14 SECTION 4: Supplier checklist AQUAFLOW REGULATORS LTD (7) Tel: ARMITAGE SHANKS LTD (1,5,7,8,9,10) Tel: BRISTAN LTD (2) Tel: CHESS PLC (8) Tel: CISTERMISER LTD (8) Tel: DART VALLEY SYSTEMS LTD (1,2,7,8) Tel: DEREVE (FLOW CONTROLS) LTD (7) Tel: ELIMILEAK LTD (12) Tel: FLOW CONTROL (3,7,8) Tel: GREEN BUILDING STORE (1,2,4,9,10) Tel: RAINHARVESTING SYSTEMS LTD (7,9,10,11) Tel: PEGLER LTD (1,2,4,6,8) Tel: RODIN GROUP (2,9) Tel: RS (CONSERVATION) LTD (2,7,8) Tel: SPRINGWELL MICROELECTRONICS (8) Tel: TAPMAGIC LTD (4) Tel: WATER SAVERS (8) Tel: SOUTHERN WATER (11) 14

15 SECTION 5: Useful contacts Help and advice on water efficiency and other aspects of environmental management is available from: SOUTHERN WATER Water Efficiency Team Yeoman Road Worthing West Sussex, BN13 3NX Tel: ENVIRONMENT AGENCY A range of publications including the 'Conserving Water in Buildings' which includes a comprehensive list of suppliers. Guildbourne House Chatsworth Road Worthing BN11 1LD Tel: ENVIROWISE Free publications and advice including industrial case studies. Envirowise manages the Water Technology List and Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme. Tel or EGENERATION Business learning centre. Helps businesses in the South become more sustainable and save money in the process. 15

16 If you would like any further information, please contact: Customer Service Centre Telephone: Write to: Southern Water PO Box 41 Worthing BN13 3NZ PNM598_06.06_CSPD Southern Water 2004