New research reveals households are pouring money down the drain by wasting the UK’s precious water supplies
• 65% of households have no water saving products in their home
• Over a third of people admit they don’t know enough about water saving products to install them in their home
• Northern Ireland are the least environmentally conscious with less than 30% of households having water saving products in their home
New research out today by leading bathroom manufacturer Ideal Standard reveals there is a lack of awareness when it comes to our water usage. Whilst many homeowners want to limit their water use, many are unaware of how much water they use and waste on a daily basis.
Half the nation thinks they use only 60 litres or less of water a day, when in reality some are using more than 200 litres – 50 litres above the daily average. Behaviour such as leaving the tap on when brushing teeth and letting the water run before getting into the shower are also factors that contribute to water wastage. Three quarters of households don’t have a dual flush toilet, which alone saves two thirds of the water used in flushing a regular toilet. This high wastage means water and money are being wasted in households across the country on a daily basis.
Statistics by Waterwise show that London is drier than Istanbul, and the South East of England has less water available per person than Sudan and Syria. Keeping water waste to a minimum is imperative from a long term perspective and whilst three quarters of those surveyed said they wanted to save water, they aren’t prepared to spend money on water saving products to do so.
Tony Rheinberg, Marketing Manager at Ideal Standard said: “Although the summer has come to an end and we’ve seen rain in the last few weeks, 2010 has been an exceptionally dry year overall. Our national water usage survey highlights the lack of awareness around sustainable water usage in the UK.
“Less than a third of households have water saving products such as a dual flush toilet and click CLICK technology. The single lever basin mixer and bidet mixer incorporate a CLICK feature that encourages water saving – the user lifts the handle until they feel a slight resistance. This resistance informs the user that the fitting is delivering only 50% of its maximum flow potential. Lifting the handle further enables the fitting to deliver maximum flow. CLICK technology is available on Idyll Two, Ceramix, Ceraplan and Melange.technology taps in their bathroom, which can help cut water waste and save money. The great news is that there are plenty of options for people wanting to save water and money at the same time.”
Ideal Standard has the largest range of water saving products in the industry with over 100 products on the Bathroom Manufacturer Association’s (BMA) water efficient labelling scheme. The BMA scheme is designed to help consumers identify which product is water efficient and give them the variety of choice and price ranges to suit every household’s needs. Products such as the water saving bath Water saving baths are the future of eco-aware bathing. For homes where water-usage is an issue this bath’s ingenious, softly sloping interior and tapered foot end reduces the amount of water needed to enjoy a deep, indulgent soak.with a lower step in height and installing a dual flush toilet are just small ways people can save money on their water bills long term, as well as helping the environment.
5 top tips for reducing water waste and money:
1. Fitting a meter is free of charge and can save you money! The installation of a water meter usually reduces water usage by an average of 10%. The less water you use, the less you pay, so permanent water-saving solutions make sound financial sense.
2. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day – that’s almost 5,500 litres a year* – and can drive you mad in the process.
3. If an average person spends 7 minutes in the shower, using an average of 9 litres of water a minute, that’s 63 litres per shower. Showering for just 1 minute less can reduce the tally to 54 litres, a simple way to save over 300 litres a year. Easy!
4. Plug in! It’s no bother to use the plug in when washing your hands or shaving. A running tap can deliver up to 8 litres of water a minute when an average basin holds only litres. That’s a 50% saving in no time at all. Sorted!
5. Not the goldfish! Don’t use the WC as a waste bin. The more waste you flush down the toilet – make-up wipes, hairballs, dead spiders, etc – the more energy has to be expended to process the waste.
The Ideal Standard water saving survey was conducted by One Poll among 2,000 participants in June 2010.
For more information on Ideal Standard’s water saving products please visit:
ideal-standard.co.uk