Skip to main content
Facilitate Magazine: Informing Workplace and Facilities Management Professionals - return to the homepage Facilitate magazine logo
  • Search
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @Facilitate_Mag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management Logo of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
    • Comment
    • People
    • Reports
    • Research
  • Features
    • Analysis
    • Features
    • Round Tables
    • Webinars
  • Outsourcing
    • Contract Finder
    • Contracts
    • FM Business Models
    • Interviews
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Opinion
    • Procurement
    • Trends
  • Know-How
    • Explainers
    • Legal Updates
    • White Papers
  • Jobs
  • Topics
    • Workplace Services
      • Hospitality
      • Catering
      • Cleaning
      • Front of House
      • Grounds Maintenance
      • Helpdesk
      • Mailroom
      • Manned Guarding / Security
      • Pest Control
      • Washroom Services
      • Disaster Recovery
      • Specialist Services
    • Professional Performance
      • Behavioural Change
      • Continual Professional Development
      • Education
      • Management
      • Recruitment
      • Training
    • Workplace Performance
      • Benchmarking
      • Health & Wellbeing
      • Operational Readiness
      • Procurement
      • Security
      • Workplace User Experience
      • Workplace Culture
    • Compliance
      • Health & Safety
      • Risk & Business Continuity
      • Standards
      • Statutory Compliance
    • Building Services
      • Architecture & Construction
      • Asset Management
      • Building Controls
      • Building Fabric
      • Drinking Water
      • Fire Protection
      • HVAC
      • Landscaping
      • Mechanical & Electrical
      • Building Security
      • Water, Drainage & Plumbing
    • Technology
      • Building Information Modelling
      • CAFM
      • Data & Networks
      • Document Management
      • Information Management
      • Internet of Things (IoT)
      • Software & Systems
    • Energy management
      • Energy Management Systems
      • Electricity
      • Gas
      • Solar
      • Wind
    • Sustainability
      • Environmental Quality
      • Social Value
      • Waste Management
      • Recycling
    • Workspace Design
      • Agile Working
      • Fit-Out & Refurbishment
      • Inclusive Access
      • Lighting
      • Office Interiors
      • Signage
      • Space Planning
      • Storage
      • Vehicle Management / Parking
      • Washroom
    • Sectors
      • Corporate Office
      • Education
      • Healthcare
      • Manufacturing
      • International
      • Retail
      • Sports & Leisure
      • Regions
  • Buyers' Guide
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Sections
  • Topics
Know How
Sections
Explainers

Stemming the flow

Open-access content Wednesday 2nd October 2019 — updated 8.25pm, Tuesday 26th May 2020
© iStock

England will run short of water within 25 years, with supplies having to be transferred to water-stressed areas, so there's a pressing business case to invest in water-saving technology, says Marcus Rose. 

07 October 2019 | Marcus Rose


Sir James Bevan of the Environment Agency says England is set to run short of water within 25 years and northern parts of England could run dry by 2035. There's an environmental imperative for organisations to cut water use.


But doing so is also economically advantageous. Even a small investment in water-saving technology can lower water bills.


The washroom is one of the most intensive areas of water use so water-saving technologies such as waterless urinals, and low-flow sensor taps and showers can dramatically cut water use and associated bills. So how can FMs prove the business case for a washroom refit?


Run a metered trial


The most accurate way to estimate return on investment (ROI) is to run a metered trial on the technology you are considering installing. This involves installing water meters in a single bathroom and measuring water use before and after the installation of water-saving equipment. The data can be used to calculate the likely ROI if the equipment were rolled out across your whole estate.


Most suppliers will offer some form of trial, so talk to find out their terms.


A trial in action


We recently ran a trial for a large chain of motorway service stations that was considering switching to low-flow sensor taps. 

We installed water meters in two banks of taps in one service station and measured hot and cold water consumption over 10 weeks - enough time to get an accurate measure of typical water use from which annual usage could be extrapolated. 

We then installed the low-flow taps and measured water use for another 10 weeks. Before installation: The site used 252 cubic metres of water over the first 10-week monitoring period. 
After installation: The site used 51m3 in the second 10-week period - that's a reduction of almost 80 per cent. 

Financial savings: The company was paying £1.70 per m3 for its water so the test showed it would save around £1,800 in a year from one washroom. More savings are possible by reducing energy used to heat water used in hot taps, so put meters on both the hot and cold supply. At the service station, the trial showed the water-saving taps would save an additional £1,467 in heating costs. 


Rolled out across all washrooms in all sites, the savings ran to hundreds of thousands of pounds and the investment in low-flow taps paid for itself within 16 months, even taking into account the cost of installing the meters and running the trial.


An alternative to a trial run


You may not want to go to the expense of running a fully metered trial, particularly not if you have a smaller site with only a few washrooms. In that case, you can estimate ROI by using a spreadsheet to calculate likely savings. 

For example, to calculate the ROI of waterless urinals you need to know:

  • How many urinals you have on site;
  • How many times an hour they flush (Four to six is typical); and
  • How many litres of water each flush uses (Nine litres is typical).

 

From this you can calculate how many litres of water you are using in each urinal each year and, using the information on your water bill, work out the cost. 


Your supplier can tell you the cost of installing the waterless urinals, which then gives you all the information you need to estimate a fairly accurate ROI time frame. The same principle applies to estimating ROI on other products such as low-flow taps.


What to expect from the analysis

Organisations tend to be really surprised by how much water they use, particularly when translated into financial savings. Water costs vary from region to region, but an average figure is £3 per m3. 

Switching to waterless urinals could, in a year, save you up to 100,000 litres of water per urinal and cut your water bill by about £300. A single low-flow sensor tap can save water worth £200 a year. Extrapolated across a large site with many taps and urinals, the savings can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

Marcus Rose is managing director at Ecoprod, a supplier of environmental washroom solutions 

Also filed in
Topics
Know How
Content
Explainers

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Today's top reads

 

Latest Jobs

Interim Sustainability Manager (12 month fix-term contract)

London (Central)
c.£60,000 per annum plus excellent benefits
Reference
59413

Regional Facilities Manager

Borehamwood
Circa £47,000 + Decent Package & opportunities
Reference
59410

Facilities Manager

Hertfordshire
Up to £75,000 + Decent Package
Reference
59408
See all jobs »

 

 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to print

Sign up to receive our bi-monthly magazine

Subscribe
Facilitate magazine cover, June 2020
​
FOLLOW US
@Facilitate_Mag
Facilitate Magazine
Facilitate Magazine
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel: 020 7880 6200
​

IWFM

About IWFM
Become a member
Qualifications
Events

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to Facilitate Magazine
Write for Facilitate Magazine

General

IWFM Jobs
Help

© 2023 • www.facilitatemagazine.com and Facilitate Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ