Hotels and restaurants in England and Wales could make combined savings of nearly £400,000 a day by using water more efficiency, according to new government-backed research.
A study by Government funded sustainability advisory body Envirowise suggests that hotels and restaurants in England and Wales are using 391 million cubic metres every year - enough to fill more than 104,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Reducing this consumption through efficiency could allow the industry to make combined annual savings of up to 129 million cubic metres, worth an estimated £374,000 per day, the research says.
According to Envirowise, addressing water use for the first time can allow a business to make savings of up to 30% of its water and effluent bills. These savings can increase to 50% by investing in long-term water saving projects and technology, it said.
Clare Sweeney, water specialist at Envirowise, said: “There are many simple low and no-cost ways of improving water efficiency including fixing dripping taps and installing water-saving devices.
“A tap dripping two drops a second across a year, for example, could waste nearly 10,000 litres of water.”
Envirowise has launched a new free-to-join programme, called Rippleffect, focused on supporting businesses to improve water efficiency. The final deadline for joining the six-month initiative is 10 September. Call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585794 or visit: www.envirowise.gov.uk/rippleffect
Water-saving policies >>
Envirowise: Water top tips >>
Practical advice on the water front >>
Crowne Plaza and Pret A Manger sign up to green scheme >>
Read more news and features on green issue here >>
By Daniel Thomas
E-mail your comments to Daniel Thomas here.
| | Newsletters
For the latest hospitality news, sign up for our e-mail newsletters. | |