Reducing Water Wastage in the UK

Waterwise welcomes Ofwat’s plans to waste less water – but urges that climate change be put at the heart of the process

WATERWISE RESPONSE TO OFWAT’S FINAL DETERMINATION ON THE 2009 PRICE REVIEW

Waterwise today welcomed Ofwat’s final determinations on the 2009 review for the next 5 years and the support awarded to water company plans to help their customers waste less water.

The final determinations repeated the commitment to 6 enhanced water efficiency programmes, some of which will mean that tens of thousands of householders will be offered a water efficiency makeover for their homes for free. They also will enable extension of water metering in homes.

While keeping bills down, which is important as householders struggle to make ends meet, the economic regulator has ensured that some planning for the future under climate change can be taken forward – as more extremes of weather mean that, as well as more devastating floods, there will also be less water, at the same time as we know there will be more people for it to go round. It is also important to reduce the contribution to climate change from heating water in homes and businesses – representing 5% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions - and pumping and treating water to homes and businesses. It is welcome that for the first time carbon costs have been introduced into the options appraisal process.

Waterwise’s Managing Director, Jacob Tompkins, said, “Waterwise very much welcomes the strong support that Ofwat is showing for water company plans to help their customers waste less water, including through retrofitting tens of thousands of homes for free. We also support the increase to 50% metering by 2015. (57% in areas of serous water stress) However, all stakeholders now agree that metering is the fairest way to pay for water, and it cuts water use by 10%, so we would still like to see a meter in every home by 2020, supported by measures to protect vulnerable groups.”

“More widely, climate change is now a driving force across the UK economy, as the low-carbon economy develops and we need to reduce our impact on climate change and adapt to its effects. At the same time, our population is growing. Politicians, commentators and independent reports to government are now calling for the true value of water to be reflected in the regulatory system surrounding water. Waterwise would like to see a new regulatory settlement for water, with the value of its water at its core, reflecting the increased impacts of climate change, and their causes. We would also like to see an interim determination, before 2015, once the water companies have responded (through “Notified Items”) to the 2009 UK Climate Impact Programme scenarios in their own areas – we hope such an interim determination would be able to approve even larger water efficiency and metering programmes, on cost-benefit grounds. These programmes are currently a drop in the ocean compared to spending on supply-side measures.”

“We welcome the step-change in water efficiency and metering this price review, but it is only the start.”


Notes to Editors

Waterwise is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organisation focused on decreasing water consumption in the UK, and building the evidence base for large scale water efficiency. We are the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK. We sat on the UK Environment Minister’s Water Saving Group alongside the water industry and regulators. Our aim is to reverse the upward trend in how much water we all use at home and at work. For more information please visit www.waterwise.org.uk


Contact:
Waterwise
Chris Philpot
Communications Manager
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