Water Efficiency

Water is not as abundant in England and Wales as you would think. We only have 1,334 cubic metres (m³) per person a year - much less than France (3,065 m³) or even the hotter Mediterranean countries of Italy (2,785 m³) and Spain (2,775 m³).

The average person in England and Wales uses 150 litres of water every day. Most of it is used for washing and toilet flushing, but it also includes drinking, cooking, car washing and watering the garden. We use almost 50% more water than 25 years ago but about 1/3 of the water each person uses on a daily basis is wasted - it runs straight down the plughole or down the toilet without being used.

Why Save Water?

We must use water efficiently to make sure that we have enough water and at the same time protect our valuable natural environment, now and for future generations. If we do not take action now, climate change, population shifts and behaviour mean the UK will face increased water stress in the future.

Water shortages don’t just affect us: they can also seriously harm our environment. Our water comes from rivers and groundwater so every drop we use has a direct effect on the environment. Fish, wetland birds and other wildlife that rely on ponds, rivers and streams struggle to survive when these dry up or run low as sources of food and breeding sites for wildlife can be lost.

Saving water will not only save the environment, but if you are on a water meter it will save you money on your water bill, and it will save you money on your energy bill if you reduce your hot water consumption.

How to Save Water

Detailed below are ten tips for saving water. For specific advice and help on saving water in your business contact South West Water or EnVision on 0845 456 9350.

1. Put a Hippo in your toilet cistern - Put a hippo into the cistern to save some water. South West Water can give you one of these devices for free - Request - Water Saving Hippo.
2. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth - If the entire adult population of England and Wales remembered to do this, we could save 180 mega litres a day-enough to supply nearly 500,000 homes.
3. Fill up your dishwasher - Hand washing dishes typically uses about 63 litres per session. In comparison, a modern dishwasher can use as little as 15 litres of water per cycle. Make sure you fill the dishwasher or you'll be wasting even more water and energy than if you were to wash up by hand. If you buy a new dishwasher try and buy an ‘A Rated’ model.
4. Wash your fruit and vegetables in a bowl - This will use a lot less water than using a running tap.
5. Keep a jug of water in the fridge - This way you don't have to run the tap for a while and waste water just to get a cold drink.
6. Take a shower instead of a bath - A bath can use over 100 litres (costing about 50p in water costs), while a shower only uses a third of that amount. But power-showers can actually use more than a bath if you shower for more than five minutes.
7. Use a water butt - Your roof collects enough water to fill 450 water butts with free water. You could water your garden and houseplants, or wash your car for free! To get a butt visit South West Water.
8. Use a bucket and sponge to wash your car - Just 30 minutes use of a hosepipe will use more water than the average family uses in a day.
9. Wash with a full load - Only use your washing machine when you have a full load or choose a short economy cycle. These use less water and less energy too!
10. Turn down the flow - If you find your hot tap runs cold for a long time before running hot try closing the tap to a slow flow while it is running cold. This will waste less water and help the boiler to heat up more quickly so saving gas as well.

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