01/04/2024

How to Reduce Water Usage in the Workplace

With the rise of energy costs and water bills continuing to put pressure on budgets, many are looking for ways to reduce their water usage in the workplace.

Bills are soaring, and every effort your business can make to reduce water consumption can help you save on costs. But beyond the financial aspect of conserving water, we should all be taking extra care to reduce our water usage due to its negative impact on the planet.

Read on to discover the benefits of water conservation, and eight ways to reduce water usage at work:

1. Monitor water usage

2. Carry out maintenance and check for leaks

3. Only use appliances when necessary

4. Educate staff

5. Install a self closing tap to save water

6. Consider other water efficient products

7. Check how efficiently your toilets handle water waste

8, Why not look to Install HydroTap?

Benefits of water conservation at work

A workplace saving water is a workplace saving a precious resource; whether your business' priority is the financial or sustainability benefits, it works to improve both.

These are just a handful of the many benefits of conserving water at work:

- Saving money on the water bill

- It helps your business meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) guidelines.

- It places less pressure on the water services and infrastructure in the UK. If restrictions are put in place due to a drought, you will be adept at dealing with them.

- Your business will be reducing its impact on the planet.

- Only 0.5% of water on Earth is suitable for drinking. With such scarcity, it's important to conserve water whenever possible

Ways to reduce water consumption in the workplace

For businesses, water use is a cost that may seem unavoidable, and a bill that is allowed to climb without much notice. While the water bill will never whittle down to nothing, there is more businesses can do to save water - and money.

Here are 8 ways to reduce water consumption at work

1. Monitor water usage

Keeping an eye on your business water usage will help you reduce water consumption in the office long-term, as you will be able to analyse where and when water is being used.

Water management in the office starts with understanding where water is being wasted; installing a smart water meter allows you to see exactly how much water your business is using, and is an excellent tool that helps with general energy management.

2. Carry out maintenance and check for leaks

Over 3 million litres of water is lost to leaks every single day in England and Wales. To help conserve water and save hundreds of pounds for your business, you should arrange to have your plumbing system routinely checked for leaks and regularly conduct general maintenance.

Even if your business is meticulous with its dedication to reducing water usage, having a leak in the water supply can leave you with a significant bill and no obvious source. Employing the services of a plumber to check the pipework is a worthwhile investment for long-term savings for businesses.

3. Only use appliances when necessary (like a full dishwasher)

Careful management of appliance use in the office will help your business save money on two fronts; water and electricity. Energy costs from appliance use can quickly add up to hundreds, or even thousands of pounds over 12 months.

The cost of using appliances like the dishwasher or a kettle can be reduced if used correctly. Filling the kettle to the exact amount needed and only using the dishwasher (and washing machine, if your workplace has one) when it's full will save water and cut the energy usage - and carbon emissions - of your business.

4. Educate staff

It can be hard to break people out of their everyday habits, but when it comes to conserving water, it's worth doing so. Especially in a place where employees aren't responsible for paying the water bill!

A few reminders on the impact of excessive water use on the environment, incorporating it into your business sustainability initiatives, can help employees consider the effect of their actions.

Place signs near water stations to remind employees of small changes they can make to help with water saving. Here are a few simple things your office can do to reduce water consumption:

- If your office or place of work has showers, encourage a limit of 4 or 5 minutes.

- Ask staff to check that taps are turned off properly in bathrooms and kitchens

- Place a washing up bowl in the sink, so that a smaller amount of hot water is required for washing up.

- As mentioned previously, only use the dishwasher when it is full.

- If using a kettle, fill it only to the level needed.

5. Install a self closing tap to save water

On a busy day at work, some people may absent-mindedly leave a tap running after they've used it. By installing a self-closing tap (a tap that doesn't need to be turned off, and will do so automatically), you could potentially save on gallons of water wastage.

HydroTap has been designed to avoid waste. By instantly dispensing boiling, chilled, and sparkling water, employees only need to use the amount of water they need for a cup of tea or coffee, and as soon as they let go of the touchpad, the water stops. Just like that. 

6. Consider other water efficient products

A water-saving device like a self closing tap is a great start, but isn't the only addition that can make a difference to your business. Other water-saving, environmentally friendly products include water-efficient shower heads, shower timers and a soil moisture meter.

Have you thought about a rainwater butt?

While not an option for all workplaces, installing a water butt to collect rainwater can be a great, environmentally friendly way to save water.

Rainwater is great for plant life. If you have a small garden area, it's an ideal solution for water saving - made even more worthwhile for the fact rainwater is superior to tap water for plants. Even office buildings in urban areas without an outdoor garden may find it useful for indoor plants; which are, after all, an important requirement for a healthy workplace environment.

Harvested rainwater has more uses than just watering the plants, however, and can be used for everything from cleaning the floors to flushing toilets. If it is particularly clean water, it can even be used to wash clothes. Harvested rainwater can be easily incorporated into an office, becoming an essential part of your workplace's sustainability initiatives and environmental management system. It can be used extensively if connected to the water system, or used just for small tasks like plant watering; either way, it is an effective, sustainable way to cut down on costs in the office.

7. Check how efficiently your toilets handle water waste

Install dual flush toilets for better efficiency and less waste

Traditional toilets weren't designed with saving water in mind; old, single flush systems used an average of 13 litres per flush. Dual flush toilets were made to reduce water consumption and typically use around 5 litres per flush.

Toilet flushing is accountable for 43% of the water usage in offices. Though it will be one of the largest sources of water consumption regardless - this isn't advocating against flushing the toilet - you can still save water by changing your toilet to a more modern model. Having two options for flushing, so that less water is required for most uses, can make a big difference in reducing water consumption over the course of a year.

Look at Low-flow toilets and waterless urinals

Though uncommon in the UK, high-flow toilets are a big offender when it comes to water usage. If you have one of these toilets in the office, consider switching to a model with better water efficiency, like low flow toilets, to conserve water.

If your business has bathrooms with urinals, you could be losing more water than you realise; up to 87,000 litres of water per urinal, per year. Waterless urinals are just as effective, and are an excellent way of reducing water consumption for businesses.

Water saving methods like these - in the workplace bathroom alone - could save your business hundreds of pounds over a year.

8. Why not look to install HydroTap?

HydroTap can revolutionise the way your business uses water. It is designed to reduce water usage as you only dispense the exact amount of water that you need, but it also uses technology to ensure that the air-cooled system used to produce filtered chilled, and boiling water eliminates the use of extra water in the cooling process.

Did you know a kettle produces 73g of carbon dioxide per year? HydroTap produces 66% less carbon per year on average. Add that to the water savings you'll be making, and it's a win-win for businesses.

On top of saving water, installing a Zip HydroTap will save your employees time, boost productivity, and improve the sustainability of your business. There will be no need for plastic bottles in your workplace, as the advanced filtration system offers a superior taste, eliminating the need for bottled water.

Water management at work

Reducing the amount of water wasted at work is simple, as outlined by these eight methods, and is best achieved through both education of staff, and adoption of, and use of new technology.

As well as cutting the rising energy bills of your business, a responsible attitude to water conservation at work will improve your company's sustainability credentials, helping you to meet ESG guidelines and lower your impact on the environment.

If you're interested in improving water usage at work with the addition of HydroTap, get in touch today.