What can your business do to help protect our water supplies?
The water on our planet is a finite resource, it won’t last forever, so it’s vital we start thinking now about how to protect our water and find ways to conserve and reuse it wherever possible. As our population rapidly increases, we’re putting a considerable strain on the environment and our water resources and experts confirm the UK may be facing a deficit in water supply vs demand within the next 25 to 30 years.
Protecting our water supply
Although our planet is made up of 70% water, only 2.5% of this is fresh water, which is mostly trapped in ice or snow. That leaves just 0.007% of the water on the planet available for its 6.8 billion inhabitants.
This statistic clearly shows just how important it is to protect the water we have and the good news is, there are many ways your business can do more to conserve water. For many, the best place to start is minimising wastage. Leaking pipework and toilets are two big culprits of wasted water and wasted money. For example, uncontrolled urinals can flush three times an hour, even when no one is in the building. For a nine-litre cistern, this could cost a business more than £700 per year per cistern. By addressing these issues and considering simple technologies like automatic taps for handwashing and low volume showers, businesses can save water and save money in the long run.
Save water, reduce your carbon footprint
While you may not consider your business’ water consumption to be linked to your carbon footprint, it is. Water treatment and supply are carbon intensive and are responsible for around 1% of the UK’s total carbon emissions which all contributes to climate change. And when you factor in on-site processing like heating, cooling and pumping – vital processes for many businesses - this carbon impact rises to 6%.
This means if your business is working towards the Government’s ambitious target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, your water consumption must be considered, not only to help combat climate change and but to make sure we have enough water to go around.
Consider your water intensive processes
For many businesses, the carbon impact of water is indirect and is a result of the processes you carry out on site. So if your business is a high consumer of water, you may be able to significantly reduce your carbon footprint by making changes to your day-to-day operations or upgrading to more energy efficient equipment.
Understanding your water use
To find ways to reduce your water usage long term, your business could consider a water audit or commit to a water strategy. By understanding exactly where water is used on your site and how it’s processed, you can find opportunities to make changes and set long term water saving goals. To monitor your progress, automatic meter readers are also a great way to help you to keep on track. They allow you to see regular consumption data, upload meter reads automatically and receive alerts if your usage changes significantly – all of which can help you on your water saving journey.
At Wave, we’re committed to supporting our customers’ goals for water conservation and helping to minimise usage without compromising your outputs. We’ve got a range of Active Water Management services to support businesses so speak to us about finding ways to cut your wastage and do your bit to protect our planet and its water supply.
