We can all do a little more to use less water

When it comes to your water bill, you’re charged for what your business uses, and anything that is wasted. We’re all guilty of leaving a tap running or putting the dishwasher on before it’s full, but all these little habits can make a real difference to your bills and our water resources.

With the increasing population and climate change, the Environment Agency predicts that if we don’t change some of our behaviours when it comes to using water, we all face the threat of shortages within the next 20-30 years.

We believe there's not a drop to waste so we all need to make changes at home and at work, to make sure there’s enough water for future generations.

Here’s a few simple ways you can cut down - and save on your water bill too!

Look closely at your daily routines

From bathing/showering, using the toilet, washing clothes and dishes and of course drinking water, looking at how you personally use water every day can highlight simple ways to save more, both at home and at work. Here’s some examples of how you can benefit from changes to your daily routines:

  • Avoid leaving a tap running – when brushing your teeth or washing food, turn the tap off in-between rather than leaving it unattended. When you leave the tap running it wastes around 6 litres of water each minute.
  • Reduce the length of your shower – by reducing your shower from ten minutes to five, you'll save more than £100 in energy and water each year.
  • Have a shallower bath – lowering your baths by a third can save up to £225 yearly.
  • Keep a jug of tap water in the fridge – when it's warm outside, keeping a jug in the fridge means you don’t need to keep running the tap for a cold drink.

Avoid unnecessary waste

Look at some ways to reduce waste or recycle water in your home or business, for example:

  • Install a water butt – rainwater can be used to clean windows and floors, as well as to water plants and garden areas.
  • Check for repairs – do you have any leaking taps? If you have five leaky taps on your premises, this could be costing you an extra £44 a year.
  • Leaky loos – leaking toilets are the biggest culprits for wasting water - they can waste around 400 litres of water a day, which adds up to around £300 a year per toilet.
  • Keep an eye on your bills – If you see your business bills increasing and don't know why, you may have an underground leak, which can often go unnoticed and could result in a burst pipe. Leaks can be costly for businesses as it’s likely you’ll need to pay for any water that’s been lost. You can check this with a leak and flow test:

Use water efficient appliances

A short-term investment in more efficient appliances could save you a significant amount of water.

  • Install motion sensor taps – these help to avoid taps being left on.
  • Update your toilets – newer toilets have lower volume flush options. Or, for just a few pounds you can install a cistern displacement product that can save up to three litres per flush, versus the standard nine litres.
  • Don't forget your urinals – uncontrolled urinals can flush three times an hour, night and day, costing more than £700 a year, per cistern.
  • Fill your appliances – make sure that your washing machine and dishwashers are full before switching them on. Cutting out two dishwasher cycles a week can save around £75 and another £37 if you do the same with your washing machine.

Keep track of your water use

By looking at how much water you use on a regular basis, you’ll be able to identify particular areas or times of day that you’re using it the most. This helps make decisions on how you could save water and become more efficient. As a Wave customer, you can see your consumption in My Account and by submitting regular meter reads.

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