What is it?
Water is the most important component of all life on Earth.
However, the amount of fresh water (non-salt water) on Earth is limited and its quality is under constant threat, particularly in heavily populated and industrialised areas. Potable water is therefore one of our most precious resources.
DEFINITION
Potable water
Potable water, also known as drinking water or clean water, is water that is safe to drink or use for food preparation.
Tourism businesses are constantly using clean water for a variety of tasks, from food preparation and cleaning, to ensuring customer comfort and watering gardens.
Most businesses also depend upon their supply chains to operate, such as the food and drink industries, none of which could function without sufficient water.
For your business to be sustainable, it’s important for you to use less water and ensure responsible treatment of your wastewater.
Why is it important?
The main benefit for your business is a reduction of water costs.
While it may not seem like it at first, small steps can make a big difference to your water bills.
Businesses with kitchens and other water-intense operations, e.g. large gardens, spas and swimming pools, poor cleaning practices, can make even bigger savings.
Water efficiency is important because the UK is not immune to drought and issues of water scarcity. During 2020, the UK was hit by the longest heatwave of the past 40 years, resulting in hosepipe use restrictions for 7 million households.
With climate change making extreme weather events increasingly common, combined with the growth of the UK’s population, everyone needs to be smarter about conserving water to ensure we have enough to meet our long-term needs.
Addressing water consumption also builds your business’s resilience to changing regulations around water use, reducing the risk of disruption in the future.
How can I improve it in my business?
Six top tips that you can implement to increase your business’s water efficiency are presented below.
Monitor and manage your water consumption
Contact your supplier to install a smart meter to monitor your water consumption. Measure your consumption on a monthly basis and keep records so you can track seasonal changes and keep improving operations. Smart meters also ensure you are billed for what you use!
Consider using low-consumption water fixtures
Install inexpensive water fixtures that lower the amount of water you consume and save you money. Tap aerators can reduce waterflow by up to 60%, cistern displacement devices can reduce consumption by 1-2 litres per flush, and self closing taps can save 280 litres per day.
Regularly maintain your equipment and check for leaks
Create a maintenance plan to ensure your business conducts regular inspections of taps, showers, pipe joints, etc. This will help you detect leaks as early as possible in order to repair them immediately. A single leaky toilet can waste up to 400L (= 2.5-5 bathtubs) of water a day and could add around £300 a year to your water bill if left unfixed.
Make use of rainwater
Identify opportunities to capture and store rainwater for later use. Collected rainwater can be used as a substitute for tap water in instances where it will not be consumed by humans, such as watering gardens, washing vehicles, laundry, and even flushing toilets. Rainwater harvesting can reduce your water usage by as much as 40%.
Use a grey water recycling system
Install a greywater recycling system to cut water bills. Greywater systems collect water that has been used in sinks, dishwashers, and showers to be reused in toilets and washing machines. They can be moderately expensive to install but, as they can reduce water consumption by up to 50%, if your business consumes a lot of water, they will save you money in the long term.
Get everyone involved in saving water
Communicate your water-saving initiatives to customers and staff and get them involved. Use signs to remind customers of actions they can take to reduce water use. Encourage your staff to use water more responsibly by seeking their suggestions as to how water could be conserved.
Downloads
Water efficiency checklist
With climate change and population growth increasing the demand for water, it is essential to encourage businesses in Greater Lincolnshire to adopt better habits and think before they turn on the tap.
This checklist provides you with tips and advice on how to reduce the amount of water you consume.
A case study – Big Sky Hideaway
Who is Big Sky Hideaway?
A 14-acre, off grid escape near Boston with converted buses, sleep pods and huts, hammocks, and camping facilities.
What is the business doing?
Big Sky Hideaway provides a light touch approach to remind customers that they can get by using less resources. Customers are provided with 20L water containers for drinking, cooking, and washing up, and showers are delivered in heated bags, encouraging a low-consumption mindset. Big Sky Hideaway have also installed site-wide compost toilets, saving around 400-500 litres of water per day and producing compost that can be used on the land.
What can my business do?
Have you looked to implement water conservation measures at your business?
Use signs to encourage guests to consume less water, or install specific water-saving features like low flush toilets and aerator taps and showers.
‘While creating an eco-friendly hideaway makes pure financial common sense, our guests really appreciate our approach. Almost daily someone thanks us, saying their stay was a fun reminder that they could use fewer resources as home.’
Dave Cornthwaite, Owner
#GreenTourism Lincolnshire
Is your business working towards reducing its water consumption? Share it on social media with #GreenTourismLincolnshire
