Winners of the 2014 UK Water Efficiency Awards announced
19 Jun 2014 10:28 AM
The Environment Agency
and Waterwise recognises businesses and organisations going the extra mile to
save water.
The UK Water Efficiency Award
winners range from large scale behaviour change campaigns to individual SME
initiatives which have reduced water use by up to 80 per cent. They demonstrate
how organisations which save water can help to provide the conditions for both
economic growth and healthier communities, at the same time as cutting costs,
protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions.
Trevor Bishop, Deputy Director
of Water Resources at the Environment Agency, said:
There are enormous savings
– both financial and environmental – to be made by saving water.
Those businesses implementing water efficiency measures will be better prepared
for future pressures such as climate and population change. They are also
helping to maintain our well-being and prosperity. I would like to congratulate
all those who took part. We hope that these examples provide inspiration to
others, encouraging them to protect water by investing in water management
improvements.
Jacob Tompkins,
Waterwise’s Managing Director, said:
Despite heavy rain over recent
months, these award entries show that companies are taking a long term view and
constantly improving their water management. This means that they will be
better prepared for droughts and floods. Innovation and education need to be at
the heart of efforts to reduce water use. At Waterwise we’re always happy
to work with organisations to unlock this potential. We’re even happier
when they seize on these opportunities themselves.
The categories and winners
are:
Farming and
Horticulture
Broughgammon Farm,
winner of the award for farming and horticulture, has embraced water saving at
all levels of its business. Washing machines, outside taps and toilets are all
supplied by rainwater harvesting tanks. Staff are encouraged to save water
wherever possible and the farm showcases best practice of water management to
others in the farming community. As a result of its efforts Broughgammon Farm
has increased its resilience to extreme weather and water shortages in the
future.
Runner-up in the farming and
horticulture sector is Source of
Business(part of South West Water). The project developed PAPA Pumps which
transfer water from natural water courses to farms and other water users.
Powered by natural flowing water, they provide continuous carbon neutral
pumping, with no operating costs. The system saves South West Water £257
per mega litre in treatment costs and 40kg of carbon. The system is also
helping to improve water quality by keeping livestock away from
watercourses.
Built
Environment
Winner of the built environment
award was H2Eco, a large-scale
retrofit project by Essex & Suffolk Water. In partnership with housing
associations, the project provides plumbers free of charge to fit water saving
products in participants’ homes and properties. To date it has delivered
14,999 water efficiency retrofit audits resulting in water savings of 22 litres
on average per property per day. In total the project saves customers
£250,480 a year. Having previously won this award in 2012, the judges
felt that the H2Eco project was deserving of the 2014 award for its continued
impact and legacy for customers.
Runner-up in the build
environment category was EcoFIT, a project by Northumbrian Water which has
delivered 4,555 retrofit water audits, saving 183,931 litres per day, equating
to an average measured saving of 40.38 litres per day for each participating
property. As a result, Northumbrian Water customers saved an average of
£40.57 a year on their water and sewerage bill.
Research and
Evaluation
The Energy Savings Trust won the
research and evaluation award with its ‘At Home With Water’
project. The team developed a Water Energy
Calculator, helping households to learn about their water use and potential
savings. The tool collected data from more than 86,000 homes across the UK. The
results were widely reported in the media, reaching an estimated 76% of the UK
population with water efficiency messages.
H2Eco Research by Essex &
Suffolk Water was runner-up in the research and evaluation category. The E2Eco
project analysed 1.5 million results, helping to improve the industry’s
evidence base.
Campaigns and
Education
The European Water
Label by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) won the
campaigns and education award. The scheme provides recognisable labelling and
an online database showing the water-use characteristics of bathroom and
kitchen products. Since launching in 2006, the voluntary label scheme has seen
significant growth. Around 6,000 products are currently listed on the database
and the scheme is supported by bathroom retailers, merchants and manufacturers
across Europe.
The Little Green Riding Hood
play by Northumbria
Water was runner-up for its creative approach to education. It focused
on educating primary school children about their ‘good’ and
‘bad’ water use habits.
Landscape and
Gardening
A project by Northumbria Water,
Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough Environment City to improve water use
at Saltersgill allotments won the landscape and gardening award. The project
aimed to educate allotment plot holders about the impact of their water use on
the local community. As a result, water consumption reduced at the Saltersgill
site by over 20,000 litres.
The runner-up was Essex &
Suffolk Water with their ‘Save a bucket load’ campaign which
promoted efficient use of water in the garden during April and May
2013.
Business and
Industry
Seacourt, a small
printing company in Oxford won the business and industry award for its
commitment to dramatically reduce its water consumption. The SME has cut its
water use by 80% over the past 13 years. The savings were achieved via new
machinery and a companywide drive to save water.
Aquafund by Ealing Council was runner-up for cutting the Council’s
water use by 33%.
Innovation
The award for innovation went to
Anglian Water for its water in-house display. The system provides information on water
use, leak alarms and water budgeting tools which can be enjoyed by the whole
family. 11,300 customers have installed the devises, saving 9 litres of water
per property per day and cutting overall water demand by 4%. The system has
been widely disseminated across the UK and Europe and there is potential for
this technology to be adapted for email, smart phone applications and social
media.
Runner-up of the innovation
award was the sustainable communities partnership project by Save Water Save
Money. The initiative was designed for social housing tenanted properties
and installed CombiSmart devices free of charge. The project reports to have
saved 400,000 litres of water per day.
The Chairman’s
Award
The Environment Agency
Chairman’s Award, chosen by Lord Chris Smith from entries by water
companies, went to the domestic metering water efficiency campaign by Southern Water. Part
of a metering programme for 500,000 homes, this project sought to educate
homeowners on water saving methods, providing financial assistance to those on
low incomes. As a result over 166,000 water-saving products were installed
alongside water meters. Household water consumption was reduced by up to 112
litres per property, saving customers an estimated £1.8 million on water
bills.
The project scored highly across
all of the judging criteria and was seen as a great example of combining
face-to-face advice, interventions and financial assistance to customers to
ensure water efficiency.
Exemplar
Awards
There was also recognition for
those leading the way in water efficiency within their part of the UK. The
winners for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were:
Last but not least, the Clare
Ridgewell Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Water Efficiency went to
Brian Hooper, Managing Director of Waterwise Consulting.
Read more about the UK Water
Efficiency Awards.
Find
information on how your organisation can save water.