WATER SYSTEMS
Simple water-saving tech offering significant impact
It is often overlooked that water conservation, in all its forms, can reduce expenditure within the healthcare environment, and cut carbon emissions via the mechanisms used throughout the water supply process. Adrian Hibbert, a Commercial and Specification manager at leading UK toilet solutions and water management manufacturer, Fluidmaster UK, discusses some of the options for water saving through specification of more efficient flushing and filling toilet solutions.
‘Every day, over 50 million household and non-household consumers in England and Wales receive good quality water, sanitation, and drainage services. These services are provided by 32 privately- owned companies in England and Wales’, according to data from water sector regulator, OFWAT.1
Agency data reveals, ‘The water industry uses up to 3% of total energy used in the UK’,2
and the sector is thought to be the
fourth most energy-intensive industry.3 For these reasons, creating efficiencies for water-related energy use across healthcare environments throughout the country will have substantial benefits in terms of
reducing water consumption, lessening CO2 emissions, and in turn reducing metered water bills and benefitting budgets. It is well documented that water consumption per capita has risen exponentially in modern times, with UK residents now using over 142 litres of water per day each, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
In a Department of Health publication, Meanwhile, Environment
it was revealed that: ‘During 2002/2003, the NHS in England consumed 40.3 million cubic metres of water, and produced 34.4 million cubic metres of sewage. This comes at a cost – not just financial, but at a cost to the environment. Financial savings of up to 20% may be achieved through water efficiency measures, with little or no cost in investment. This translates to a possible saving of £9.5 m per year’.4
Make savings when flushing and filling So, how can these water savings be made and equate to the cost savings estimated? The water used for flushing and filling the toilet is the same high-quality water used for drinking and cooking. The typical percentage of total healthcare water consumption for WCs and urinals is 29%.5 While increases in water consumption are putting a strain on our water resources and budgets, a series of small changes
that can be made quickly and efficiently by specifiers, facilities management companies, developers, manufacturers, and by healthcare employees and users, can considerably reduce water use with relatively little effort. Thinking specifically about toilets, dual
flush technology is a well-known option to cut water consumption significantly when flushing the toilet; it therefore goes without saying that high-quality dual flush options should be installed where possible. But what about filling the cistern? The recent development of toilet cistern fill valves has evolved new technology that can ensure less water is used during the cistern filling process – one good example being the Fluidmaster AirGap 6000. By ‘delaying the fill’, and only commencing filling when the toilet cistern has completely emptied, additional savings of up to one litre per flush can be made with every use of the toilet. This kind of efficient new filling technology does not affect
Left: Fluidmaster’s AirGap 6000 range of toilet cistern fill valves is said to enable savings of up to 1 litre of water every time the toilet is flushed.
Below middle: Fluidmaster says this pre-assembled cistern ‘is perfect for specifiers who are keen to focus on the importance of water saving and improving design sustainability’. It includes an elbow and isolation valve for quick and easy installation, and incorporates the water-saving AirGap 6000 fill valve.
Below right: The Fluidmaster T1 Toilet Pack. The company said: “For easy specification, opt for a toilet pack which contains everything required for a water-saving installation: a high-quality mounting frame, cistern, toilet, and smart flush technology.”
October 2022 Health Estate Journal 57
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