Scottish Water Demand Rises By 200 Million Litres A Day!
A water efficiency reminder has been issued by Scottish Water following the period of warm weather the country has just seen, with the supplier saying that demand climbed by over 200 million litres of water per day in line with the temperature increase… enough to fill 2.4 million baths!
On July 18th, demand for water in the East Neuk of Fife, which includes the Elie, Crail, Pittenweem and Anstruther areas, rose by around 40 per cent (one million litres a day) compared to normal water usage levels for the time of year.
The supplier’s water operations general manager Kes Juskowiak observed that the recent conditions were indeed very challenging, with reservoir levels at 74 per cent on July 20th, down from the 77 per cent the week before and 90 per cent in late May.
“Current levels are below average for this time of year but the main issue is demand for water from customers, which has increased considerably during the warm weather. It’s not isolated to one group but rather is the result of how we all use water in warm weather, particularly in the garden.
“When garden water use increases dramatically, for things like sprinklers and paddling pools, that places considerable strain across our infrastructure to move the water as quickly as the customers need it,” he went on to say.
Work being undertaken to maintain normal water supplies includes moving water between networks, tankering extra supplies into some parts of the country and deploying additional boreholes and river pumps on the Moray coast.
Tips to help save water during dry periods include using watering cans instead of garden hoses (which can use around 1,000 litres of water per hour), not using jet washers (which use an average of 36 litres of water) and not using paddling pools (which use an average of 400 litres of water).
Not running the tap when brushing teeth can help save 12 litres of water at a time, while making sure dishwashers and washing machines are fully loaded can also make you more water efficient.
For businesses, there are other ways in which you can reduce your water footprint even more. A great first step to take is to consider changing your business water supplier, as this will involve a water audit, which can reveal any weak areas across your site, allowing you to then bring in the most appropriate water-saving solutions.
Businesses in England have been able to switch supplier since April 2017, which is when the retail market was deregulated, bringing all sorts of associated benefits.
These include lower bills and charges, improved value for money, better standards of customer service, greater operational efficiencies and greater access to help in becoming more water efficient as a company. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the SwitchWaterSupplier.com team today.