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NewsSaving water can cut emissions by 30%
22 July - Category: Environment
When it comes to domestic use, a massive 150 litres per person is used each day. The journey of water we use requires a lot of energy, with resulting C02 output. The sourcing, treatment, distribution, usage, and re-treatment is a long chain of activity. A report by the Energy Saving Trust and Environment Agency looked into what elements of the process required the most amount of energy. The report confirms earlier work that established 6 per cent of the UK's annual greenhouse gas emissions relate to water use, including abstraction and wastewater treatment, and nearly 90 per cent of those emissions result from water use in the home. The report focused on the need for homeowners to to reduce hot water use if we are to meet carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. Britons could save 30% of the carbon emissions associated with heating water at home with simple solutions including lagging pipes and using low-flow taps. The report revealed that simple water-saving measures could save a typical household £225 per year, concluding that heating water would continue to be a major source of carbon emissions from homes in the future unless urgent action was taken to reduce demand and the associated energy losses from inefficient boilers. In an effort to reduce overall emissions by 80% by 2050, the Government has announced plans to reduce the footprint of homes by retrofitting them with energy efficiency measures, such as loft and cavity-wall insulation, and wants all new homes built from 2016 to be zero-carbon. However, the energy used to heat water (around 23% of an average home's C02 outputt) will not be tackled by the Government's proposals. "If the drive toward zero-carbon homes goes as planned, by the time you get to a really energy-efficient home, the energy required for space heating is going to be quite small, but unless you do something about water use, that's going to dominate and will account for over 70% of carbon emissions," said Magda Styles, water and waste strategy manager at the Energy Saving Trust. Magda went on to say that very simple methods of water and energy efficiency could take out 5% of the emissions associated with water, equivalent to taking 600,000 cars off the road. New homes and technology has helped reduce waste, but the popularity of power showers means we use the same amount of water as we did 10 years ago. "Water is a precious resource and as the government outlined in last week's low carbon transition plan we urgently need to cut carbon emissions to help reduce the impact of future climate change," said Ian Barker, head of water at the Environment Agency. By using a smaller shower head and toilet could result in a 371kg CO2 reduction and £225 saving previously mentioned. Going beyond 30% reductions in CO2 for individual households would be possible by replacing old washing machines and dishwashers with more energy and water-efficient models. For further information, please contact: Notes to EditorsThe British Assessment Bureau is the leading certification body for assessing people, services and organisations. Our reputation was established in 1965 as a division of Salford University Business Services. In 1997, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry approved the use of the word 'British' in our new corporate title in recognition of our pre-eminent status. Today, our core business is the assessment of people, services and
organisations. We certify organisations to the latest ISO standards and
design and manage bespoke assessment schemes. Such schemes are based on
the establishment of standards, which can be developed to be recognised
company-wide, industry-wide, nationally or internationally. |
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