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Energy Saving Products Saving water also reduces energy bills
from April 2023
by PHAM News
Washrooms are an obvious place for owners and managers to start reducing water consumption, while also offering the potential for lowering energy use and a building’s carbon footprint too. Richard Braid from Cistermiser explains more about some of the water efficient solutions already available.
While there is understandably a huge focus on the benefits of energy saving products and the importance of decreasing carbon emissions, water efficiency is crucial too. Population growth, rising water use and climate change are likely to affect our water resources, and the UK could face water shortages by 2050 if water efficiency action is not increased. A recent investigation has even suggested that England will face an ‘ecological disaster’ and huge shortfalls in water supplies if there is a severe drought this summer – and with the country having just experienced its driest February in 30 years, the National Drought Group has warned that England is ‘one hot dry spell’ away from drought.
It has been estimated that an additional 4000 million litres of water a day will be needed by 2050 and over half of this requirement will need to come from reducing demand for water. Many UK organisations understand they can make a positive environmental impact by decreasing the amount of water consumed in their buildings (while also lowering their utility bills). There are multiple courses of action that can be taken –including making improvements within washroom facilities.
Flow control
Perhaps the best known and widely adopted water saving devices on the market today are timed flow and sensorcontrolled taps and showers. Timed flow products release a measured amount of water after push button activation, whereas sensor-controlled tap and shower solutions only provide water once the infrared sensor detects user presence.
As well as reducing the amount of water that can be wasted if they are left running (either accidentally or deliberately), these tap and shower solutions also save energy (and subsequently lower carbon emissions). As
Pipeless Benefits
Timed flow and sensor controlled taps and showers can help save energy as well as reduce water waste
Modern urinal flushing technologies offer significant reductions in water use (typically 27-80%)
Some dual flush drop valve toilets can be prone to leaks and often go undetected
Cistermiser’s Sensazone system uses motion sensors to reduce water and energy use, while also protecting buildings from flooding minimal hot water is used, the energy required for heating water is reduced and, if coupled with thermostatic controls, the water temperature can be pre-set, further increasing energy savings and reducing scalding risk.
Sensor-controlled taps and showers also have the added benefit of being non-touch. This makes them more hygienic, as the likelihood of bacteria and viruses spreading via crosscontamination is decreased.
Flushing systems
Water efficiency can be further improved by modernising urinal and toilet flushing systems. The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 put stipulations in place to restrict the amount of water flushing devices are allowed to use, in addition to the various types of intelligent controls used to minimise water wastage.
Modern urinal flushing technologies include mainsflushing sensor-controlled valves (that flush direct from the mains) and infrared and hydraulic control valves (that control the flow of water to the urinal cistern). They offer significant reductions in water consumption
(achieving savings of around 75-80%) as well as lowering costs – indeed, thousands of pounds per year could be saved because uncontrolled urinals flush intermittently, potentially consuming upwards of 850 litres of water a day.
Meanwhile, dual flushes for toilets have become increasingly popular in recent years (either being push button, or sensorcontrolled for a hygienic, nontouch solution). We would stress that while dual flushes can reduce water use (choosing the smaller flush option can save around two litres of water on every flush), it is essential for users to understand the different functions, with a study by WRAS revealing that 80% of people were inadvertently wasting water by pressing the wrong button.
It is also important to consider that the design of some dual flush drop valve toilets mean they can be prone to leaks. According to Waterwise, between 5 and 8% of toilets are leaking at any one time (often undetected, from the q A water efficient washroom can help to minimise water consumption as well as saving energy and reducing utility bills cistern into the bowl), adding up to around 400 million litres of clean, fresh water leaking from UK toilets every day. It’s estimated that a third of commercial washrooms have at least one leaky toilet – each wasting between 215 and 400 litres of water on average per day and costing between £187 and £348 per year.
Leak prevention
The above statistics inspired the development of our EasyflushEVO, a flushing valve that prevents leaks from toilet cisterns. It will not leak due to debris, scale or degradation of the seal (it doesn’t have a flush seal below the waterline, unlike traditional flush drop valves). The award-winning product can save up to 78,475 litres of water per unit per year and can achieve a return on investment in just eight months.
Leak prevention in washrooms can be taken even further with our Sensazone solution, which intelligently controls water supplies using motion sensors that allow water to freely flow once a washroom becomes occupied. This reduces water and energy use, while also protecting buildings against water damage or flooding, potentially decreasing insurance premiums.
Preserving resources
In recent years, the owners and managers of commercial and public sector buildings have become increasingly interested in water saving solutions, either because of a sense of environmental responsibility or to help reduce utility costs. Modern solutions that control the amount of water used by taps, showers, urinals and toilets are helping to ensure that washrooms are water efficient, contributing to the essential preservation of precious water resources.
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