Water efficiency: ten top tips
Most businesses could halve their water bill by implementing simple and economical water minimisation measures. And taking steps to improve your water efficiency can be easier than you think.
Tips for water efficiency in your business
Here's ten top tips to help save water and money in your business:
1. Get buy-in
Involve all of your staff and management in your water-saving programme - see making the case for environmental improvements.
2. Measure your water usage
Identify how much your business is paying in water and wastewater charges and also what hidden charges your business is facing - see how to analyse how much water you use.
3. Use a water balance
Develop a water balance for your business attempting to quantify more than 90 per cent of your water use - see how to monitor your water use.
4. Set up a water monitoring system
Use the information in your water balance to design a monitoring and targeting system.
5. Target areas for improvement
Use your water balance and monitoring and targeting system to identify ways to eliminate or reduce water use and minimise effluent generation - see choose water saving measures.
6. Employ best practice solutions
Identify water-saving techniques that will allow these water-saving opportunities to be realised - see save water at commercial premises.
7. Draw up a water plan
Prepare a Water Efficiency Action Plan to summarise and prioritise improvement actions, including a business case for each action - then implement and regularly update it as new improvement actions are identified - see setting up a water reduction plan.
8. Review your progress
Review and evaluate the actual improvement action benefits achieved.
9. Celebrate your achievements
Communicate the success to your staff and your supply chain to maintain their engagement - find out more about supply chain efficiency and environmental impact.
10. Always keep improving
Return to Step 2 regularly to continually improve water efficiency in your business.
For more detail on these ten top tips, you can download Invest Northern Ireland's practical water efficiency guide for businesses in Northern Ireland (PDF, 956K).