Our water saving promise
We’re asking businesses across Yorkshire to sign up to our new water saving promise and save it where you can.
Our top water efficiency tips
Get everyone on board
People power
Let your teams know you're on a mission to save water. Share our posters, have an introductory chat, a suggestion box and increase awareness about using water wisely.
Appoint a meter champion
Start monitoring your water usage. Pick a meter champion, ask them to read the meter weekly or monthly. A sharp increase may highlight a leak.
Stop it
Let your teams know how important it is to report leaks. Tell them who to report it to. Why not set water usage targets and encourage all staff members to get on board?
Start saving in kitchen
Spare the kettle
Don't overfill the kettle, only boil what you need.
Cool it
Store jugs of water in the fridge instead of running the tap, or use a water cooler.
Feed the dishwasher
Use a dishwasher or dip into a bowl of hot water to wash up. Don't leave taps running to wash individual mugs or plates.
Turn taps off
Don't leave taps running constantly for vegetable washing, rinsing or defrosting.
Step up in the bathroom
Minimise every flush
Older toilets can use up to 13 litres every flush. Installing a flushsaver device can save up to 1.2 litres per flush.
Fit push taps
Turning off the taps stops costly constant drips. Consider fitting push or sensor taps to reduce water running to waste.
Don't waste it
Uncontrolled urinals can waste 100's of litres of water per hour. Fit control devices or fit PIR sensors (passive infrared) to control flushing frequency.
Make a splash
Check all toilets for leaks as modern push loos can leak due to sticking buttons or faulty valves and waste up to 250 litres an hour.
Super efficient showers
Installing aerating shower heads can reduce the flow by 50%, while timers encourage staff to take shorter showers.
Dial it up outdoors
Hang-up the hosepipe
Hosepipes and sprinklers can use more water in an hour than a family of four uses in a day. Fit trigger nozzles or try to limit usage.
Wheely clean
Dusty transport still does the job, so only clean vehicles when they really need it. Why not use recycled water?
Butts are best
Collect rainwater and keep thirsty plants topped up for free with water butts.
Windows can wait
Look for opportunities to reduce window cleaning activities during the summer or recycle collected rainwater.
Water less
Choose shrubs that love dry conditions and try to water plants early morning or evening to reduce consumption.
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Water saving tips for bigger businesses
Tips to help you manage and monitor water in the workplace
- Set water usage targets per department and encourage widespread involvement.
- Hold water efficiency sessions or introduce an employee suggestion scheme to increase awareness of using water wisely.
- Read your meters regularly and highlight any sharp increases which may indicate a leak.
- Using water more efficiently can help your business comply with environmental legislation and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Understand and map your private pipework systems to enable you to locate and isolate leaks quickly.
- Smart technology now allows businesses to monitor water usage on a 15 minute basis. This can help identify areas where savings can be made.
- Install sub meters to monitor usage in different parts of the factory.
Tips to help you reduce water, save energy and reduce costs
- Fit trigger locks to hoses used in cleaning down and knee and pedal operated taps for controlled hygienic cleaning.
- Recycle water by using rinse water from processes or CIP systems.
- Optimise water used in heating systems, boilers or steam generators.
- Look for opportunities to make processes water efficient which will also reduce waste water costs.
- Use hot water more efficiently and re-use heat from hot water - this not only saves water but also reduces energy costs.
- Investigate use of alternate sources such as river/borehole water or greywater/rainwater for cooling or washing down.
- Check valves and fittings regularly for leaks.
Tell-tale signs to help you spot a leak
- Damp patches in or outside the property
- Lush vegetation in dry periods may be indications of leaking pipes
- Leaking overflow systems
If you have a water meter, use it to check for leaks!
- Turn off all taps
- Find your water meter and take a reading (including the red digits)
- Do not use any water for a length of time (e.g. overnight)
- Read the meter again
If the second reading is higher than the first there may be a leak.
Many businesses now have smart technology that allows them to monitor and get data on water usage at regular intervals. This can help identify abnormal or unusual usage such as a leak. Regular monitoring means any such anomalies can be quickly investigated.
Free Save a flush cistern bags
To help businesses in our region reduce water use at their offices and other premises Yorkshire Water is offering free Save a Flush cistern bags. Simply drop a Save a Flush in each toilet cistern* and reduce your cistern by 1.2 litres, saving this much water with every flush.
*Please note: Save-a-Flush bags are not suitable for dual flush toilets, or for cisterns with a capacity of less than 7 litres. If you install a Yorkshire Water Save a Flush bag and find you have to flush the toilet more than once, please remove the bag from the cistern as you may already have a low flush toilet.
If your business is based in the Yorkshire region, and you would like to request some Save a Flush bags, please contact your Water Retailer and let them know how many you would like.
Retailers, when you receive a request please submit an F4 form so that our Wholesale Service Desk can get this processed.
Your staff can also fit water saving devices in their homes by ordering a free water saving pack.
Please ask any employees, who are Yorkshire Water customers, to order a pack through our website or we can provide you with water saving leaflets including a freepost returns coupon for you to distribute to your employees to order a pack for their home.