Drainage & Water Management Feature
Groundworks
Fit and forget
As heating water accounts for nearly 1/5th of energy use in UK homes, water conservation is the key to reducing energy bills, Groundbreaker explains more
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educing hot water demand is an effective way to help occupants conserve energy and reduce bills. Some uses are fixed, e.g. the washing machine or dishwasher, here education about full loads and eco settings
can have an impact. However, many are not. Showers account for a quarter of UK domestic water usage. To reduce this
hot water usage there are three options: take cold showers, not ideal on a cold winter morning; shorter showers, using egg timers or a ‘favourite song’ to cut shower time; and flow reduction, less water is used while the shower is running. Te first two options require active engagement by all members of the
household. Te last is a fit and forget method of permanently reducing water use. ‘Eco’ or water saving shower heads are designed to restrict the water flow to
a single outlet. Tey are highly effective but retrofits like sthese come at a price, especially larger properties with multiple bathrooms. Tey also do nothing for running taps, whether they’re in the bathroom or kitchen. A further 1/5th of water usage is the taps in the house, e.g. rinsing the
coffee cup, or washing hands. Again, flow restrictors can be fitted to each of these outlets. For households on an increasingly tight budget, or landlords trying to
minimise costs, multiple fittings for each tap or shower might not be an investment they are able to make.
Showers account for a quarter of UK domestic water usage. To reduce this hot water usage there are three options: take cold showers, not ideal on a cold winter morning; shorter showers, using egg timers or a ‘favourite song’ to cut shower time; and flow reduction, less water is used while the shower is running
HOUSEHOLD FLOW RESTRICTION FOR JUST £20 PER PROPERTY Te alternative is whole site flow reduction. Fitting a device at the metre – such as Groundbreaker’s NRv2 LoFlo – regulates the level of flow entering customer premises, regardless of network pressure. As the flow of water into the premises
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMFebruary/March 2023 | 39
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