When you consider saving water, is the first thing you think about your carbon footprint? Very often, the link between water and carbon is little appreciated and often overlooked. However, carbon is integral to the production, treatment and delivery of water to our homes, as well as the use of water within our homes and the energy used to heat it. Consequently there is a large link between carbon and water, so the more water you save, the greater the reduction in your carbon footprint. So where is it used and what does it cost?

• Nearly 1% of the UK’s annual greenhouse gas emissions are a result of the energy needed to treat and pump mains water to our homes, and to collect and treat waste water from the sewage network [1].
• The heating of water in our homes is responsible for a further 5% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• The heating of water for use in the taps and showers makes up over 25% of the average household’s heating bills – so around £200 a year. This could be even more if you use an electric immersion heater.
• Hot water use is estimated by the Energy Saving Trust to be responsible for over a fifth of a home’s carbon footprint.
• The reduction of hot water use in every UK home by 5% would save the equivalent CO₂ of taking 530,000 cars off the roads – a total of 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year.
• Around 35% of homes in England and Wales are on a water meter, therefore reducing your water consumption will directly save you money.

So reducing your water usage saves you money and carbon, but there are other reasons to save water. The UK is estimated to have less water available per person than most other European countries. Furthermore, London is drier than Istanbul and the South East has less water available per person than places such as Sudan and Syria. It’s not just the South of England though, water is scarce in parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too as a result of the lowest rainfall records for a decade [2]. Considering that it is estimated that each person in the UK uses around 150 litres of water a day, there is a considerable scope for reducing consumption. This figure takes into account the water used for cooking, cleaning, washing and flushing, and it has been rising by 1% each year since 1930. So what are some simple steps to make sure it reduces in 2011?

• Fix your taps – A dripping tap will waste at least 5,500 litres of water a year (enough to fill a paddling pool every week for a summer). Fixing it could save you over £18 a year [3].
• Turn off your tap when brushing your teeth – Running the tap wastes over 6 litres per minute. If all adults in England and Wales remembered this, 180 mega litres of water a day could be saved.
• Use a cistern displacement device – about a quarter of all clean, drinkable water in our homes is used to flush the loos. Call your water company and ask for a hippo bag or similar for free. Or if you’re feeling particularly flush, consider buying a water efficient toilet or one with a dual flush.

[1] http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Water/Water-and-energy

[2] http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/the_facts/the_facts_about_saving_water.html

[3] http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/house_and_garden/quick_tips.html