While energy efficiency plans are a key part of many organisations strategies today, there doesn’t seem to be as much focus on water efficiency. As a water retailer, we’re conscious of just how precious this resource is and we understand how vital it is to conserve it. That’s why we’re trying to ensure that saving water becomes just as much of priority as saving energy.
We want to encourage UK businesses to implement water saving measures and see how reducing their water consumption can benefit the business itself as well as wider society. Here we take a look at some of the most compelling reasons for every business to implement a water efficiency plan.
Water is a finite resource
It can be easy to take water for granted when living in the UK, as there seems to be plenty of rain and clean, safe water is readily available. But we don’t have an unlimited supply– in fact, only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh water, and only 1% of freshwater is easily accessible.
As the world’s population continues to grow, this already limited water supply will need to be shared among even more people. The Water Resources Group predicts that global demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40% by 2030[i]. This isn’t just a problem for developing countries either; in the South East of England, there’s less water available per person than the Sudan[ii]…!
It’s vital to your operations
Whether you’re a sole trader or a large multinational, water will be crucial to your day-to-day operations. Water is important to even the smallest businesses – from making tea, to flushing toilets and employers are legally required to provide their staff with clean drinking water[iii].
You may also be surprised at how much water is required to carry out your business activities. If you’re often on the road, for example, you’ll be using a lot of water, as producing just one litre of petrol uses between 13-27 litres of water. Even making the paper that you write or print on is a water-intensive process, with around 10 litres of water needed to produce a single A4 sheet.
It pays to save
With business rate increases testing businesses’ budgets across the UK, many will be looking to reduce their overheads. Saving water can make a real difference to your bottom line.
Clearly, the more water you save, the more cost benefits you’ll see. There are lots of water efficiency measures that you can implement at little or no expense – encouraging staff to use the short flush on the toilet, for example, or ensure the dishwasher is full before turning it on, are completely free ways to reduce overall water consumption. And many small changes can provide noticeable savings – repairing a tap washer can save around £18 a year, which may not seem like much, but if you have a number of leaky taps across multiple sites it will really add up.
Getting started
Now if you’re keen to get started saving water can benefit your business, we’ve got a range of water efficiency resources for you, including:
- Our Water Efficiency Guide, which is free to download and is packed with handy tips on how to save water across your business
- Information on how smart meters can help you to save water
- Print-friendly Water Efficiency posters to encourage your staff to become water champions
We’d love to hear about your successful water efficiency measures have been, so get in touch to let us know!