| Collaborative Project - Water Efficiency Devices – Savings Assessment (CP359)
With Ofwat planning to set annual water efficiency targets for each water company for AMP5, which will replace the voluntary targets set out in 2008/09, the focus on water efficiency activities has never been so intense.
Water efficiency has been promoted during AMP 4 through a range of initiatives including household water efficiency audit trials – which have been used to support water resource planning. The ministerially-led Water Saving Group commissioned a cost-benefit analysis study of large-scale water efficiency programmes - which has estimated water savings of individual devices by disaggregating results from a basket of measures. However, evaluation of the actual impact, at the micro-component level, of commonly used water saving devices is needed to ensure that the most cost effective water savings devices can be installed in wide scale programmes and that accurate data is available for demand management planning.
The collaborative "Water Efficiency Devices" project will collect micro-component data, using WRc’s Identiflow® system, from a sample of domestic properties before and after water saving devices are installed. This will provide accurate assessments of the relative impact of different devices as a contribution to total savings and also enable any behavioural changes to be differentiated from the technological impact of the devices.
The twelve-month study will significantly strengthen the evidence base of impacts of commonly used water saving devices for future water efficiency or demand management planning at a micro-component level. It will provide measured data to support regulatory reporting of water efficiency or demand reduction options and justify future investment in water efficiency activities to support future water resources planning.
The project is supported by 8 water companies, the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). In addition, the project is receiving support in-kind from Ofwat, Waterwise and the Energy Saving Trust.
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