Public attitudes to water scarcity are gradually changing. However, it would still come as a surprise to most to learn that the UK has one of the scarcest available water supplies within Europe. In fact, per person, our available water supply is almost half that of some of our Mediterranean counterparts. There is some way to go before water in the UK is properly understood as a precious resource.
Hydrosave can support you in establishing and decreasing your water footprint. Initially we focus on providing a 'tier 1' footprint analysis, which enables you to address issues immediately. Thereafter, additional tiers focus in greater detail on your business' water use and aim to deliver a strategic plan for footprint reduction; a plan which complements your corporate vision and which sets out realistic and measurable objectives.
The need for cultural change
As a nation, we now use almost 50% more water than we did 25 years ago. A typical person in the UK uses an average of 150 litres of water every day. The majority of this water is used for washing and toilet flushing, but it also includes drinking, cooking, car washing and watering the garden.
A substantial proportion of this usage could easily be cut: largely through education to address cultural attitudes towards water, which has brought about such unnecessarily high water consumption.
To some extent domestic attitudes have been carried through into the commercial world. Commerce and industry consume the highest volumes of water in order to maintain their businesses; it's not unusual for an industrial water customer to be using volumes equivalent to the water consumption of a large town. Clearly the cost of this consumption is a major driver to manage your water footprint, but there are other important factors to consider:
- What would you do if your water supply was lost for 12 hours, 24 hours or for over a week?
- Could you operate your business ?
- What would be the lost revenue ?
- Do you know how much water you use?
- Do you know how much water is used in order to produce the goods you consume or use?
- Are you managing your water consumption as efficiently as you could?
