GROUNDWORKS 71 Meeting the challenge of water scarcity I
f our water usage patterns don’t change, the UK will have an ongoing water defi cit of 4,000 Megalitres per day by 2050. Reductions in
leakage and domestic consumption are the two primary strands of water conservation targeted by Defra and the water companies. Some areas of England are already restricting
future development unless ‘water neutrality’ can be demonstrated. This requires both existing and new properties to reduce per capita consumption (PCC) to the extent that overall water usage levels do not increase.
REDUCE LEAKS, DESIGN OUT JOINTS ON PIPES
AND PREPARE FOR SMARTER METERS Recent research by Thames Water showed that 8% of households show continuous fl ow on a smart meter, indicating an undetected leak. This means that up to 25% of water supplied to domestic properties is wasted as leakage. This leakage can be due to old and corroded lead supply pipes, but the majority of leaks originate from joints in the supply pipe. The House Building Federation (HBF) and Water UK have since 2014 issued best practice guidelines. Of the 5 prinicples, 4 relate to minimising use and leakage. Surface mounted meter housings can be used
in traditional building projects and are an ideal solution for modern methods of construction. In this case the meter housing can be pre-installed along with all the internal plumbing systems, and then connected to the mains supply via
HBD08_Groundbreaker_HPAdv.indd 1
allow for a much better solution. Keeping pipes on the surface reduces the risk of leaks developing and allows for easy repair and maintenance. It’s just a must better method of working.’
and continuous, uninterrupted length of pipe. Meeting all the HBFs Best Practice Guidelines. An early adopter of the surface mounted
meter housing is Portsmouth Water. Bob Taylor, CEO Portsmouth Water explained their philosophy, ‘Portsmouth Water’s policy of having a single joint free service pipe from mains connection right the way through to the wall mounted boundary box has certainly improved confi dence around the longer-term quality of these new assets from a leakage perspective. This policy is also helpful in the context of reducing customer side leakage and emerging knowledge in this area is showing that this is a bigger challenge than our previous understanding indicated.’ Steve Leigh, Managing Director
Groundbreaker, and developer of the wall mounted boundary box has over 40 years’ experience in the Water Industry. ‘We’ve been putting pipes in holes in the ground to protect them from frost for decades’, he explained. ‘Although it works, today’s new materials
REDUCE USAGE, A FIT AND FORGET SOLUTION ‘Over supply’ of water, i.e. water fl ow rates that are higher than required to provide an adequate supply, results in waste of water. Running taps when brushing teeth, showering, or rinsing cups uses more water than necessary. Approximately 40% of domestic water usage
is from bathroom and kitchen taps and showers. ‘Eco’ or water saving shower heads are designed to restrict the water fl ow to a single outlet are highly eff ective but fi ttings these come at a price, especially larger properties with multiple bathrooms. The alternative is whole site fl ow reduction.
Fitting a device such as Groundbreaker’s NRv2 LoFlo®, at the meter regulates the level of fl ow entering customer premises – regardless of network pressure. As the fl ow of water into the premises is limited, then the amount used in ‘time controlled’ activities is also limited – but without providing a degradation of service. More importantly not requiring any intervention or behavioural change on the part of the customer, so leading to ‘natural’ reduction in consumption.
01379 741993
www.groundbreaker.co.uk 21/07/2023 11:04
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
