Have you taken the plunge?
February 1st 2005 Are your profits going down the drain? It is amazing how many organisations fail to recognise how much water costs the business and how easily they could make some really big savings. Simple and often cheap measures can be very effective savings of up to 50% can be made easily.
So, how much is your water bill and what sort of an impact would a saving of 50% make to your profits? Remember, cutting down on water use will also mean that you can save money on other costs related to processing, treatment and disposal.
In fact, the true cost of your water may actually be more than three times the amount you are charged for supply and disposal.
Even if your water charges appear trivial compared with turnover (1 - 2%), in absolute terms they are often significant, say around £20,000 - £40,000/year for a company with an annual turnover of £2 million.
To find the true cost of water to your business, add up the cost of:
water supply treatment electricity for water pumping chemicals for water treatment maintenance heating cooling capital depreciation and the cost of raw material and product loss to drain.
Make a splash Last summer Envirowise launched the Big Splash, a campaign specifically targeted at UK industry to help companies get started on saving water to make them more profitable.Nearly 1200 companies have already taken the plunge.
Those reaping the benefits include the Virgin Group, Co-Op, Halfords, BT, Forster & Wheeler and Indesit.
Visit our website or call our Helpline to obtain your free Big Splash starter pack.The starter pack gives free, hands-on advice to help you understand how much water your business currently uses, one-toone support from an Envirowise buddy, and tailor made information on how you can make savings.
The best start is often made by using some good common sense.
Take a walk round your site and wherever water is used or wastewater/effluent produced, consider:
Is the process/activity really necessary? Is it necessary to use water or is there a costeffective alternative? Why does the process/activity use so much water? How can the amount of water used be reduced? Could lower quality water be used, eg untreated water or recycled water? Can the water be recovered and re-used elsewhere?
Look for leaks.An easy test for leaks is to conduct a night test.Turn off all water-using equipment and read the water meter after everyone has left the premises. Before everyone arrives the next day, read the meter again and compare the two readings.Any discrepancy identifies a leak.Then fix it! Simple and effective! Take inspiration from others.A review of water management at the Castrol Oil Plant in Cheshire identified an inefficient boiler and a leaking pipe. Installing condensate return eliminated the unnecessary use of 500 m3/week of drinking water and mending the pipe saved 990 m3/week.Cost savings were immediate at around £35 000/year.
So what are you waiting for? Dive in and take the plunge.Visit our web site at www.envirowise.gov.uk or call our Helpline on 0800 585794 for more information and to receive your free Big Splash starter pack. More articles from Water Technology List: | 
