Overarching aim
To conserve water through efficient use and management.
Target
To reduce water consumption by 20% by 2020 against a 2005 baseline.
Our target baseline for water was recalculated in 2017 according to the best practice approach – total consumption in 2005/06 was 414,730 m3 . In total, water consumption in 2017/18 was 12% higher than in our target baseline year (2005/06). However, per capita water consumption (m3 /FTE) was around 3% lower in 2017/18 than in our baseline year.
Our priority in 2018/19 is improving water consumption data granularity by looking to install Automated Meter Reading (AMR) capability on our largest water-consuming supplies. This will enable better analysis of building-water consumption and identification of opportunities for reductions. We are also developing a Water Reduction Strategy.
What can I do?
Saving water is easy, and it involves you! Here's some ideas:
- Report a leak - contact your building's maintenance team, or the Estate Facilities Helpdesk. You can also request one of our stickers displayed here.
- Make signage clear for taps and toilets, and use posters to raise awareness of saving water.
- Make sure dual-flush toilets are clearly labelled with which button is for the 'small' and 'big' flush. Make sure any taps with unusual features have clear labelling on how to turn them off.
- Replace bottle-fed water coolers with mains-fed versions and use tap water in meetings rather than bought-in water bottles.
- Laboratories can use a lot of water, including in experiments and particularly for cooling. Information on water saving in laboratories can be found in our Green Labs Guidance.
More tips, posters and stickers can be found in our Resource Bank. To request hardcopies, please contact us.