Water policy and strategy

Below we set out our policy position on water use in the home, including water efficiency measures, water products, water metering and a national water strategy.

If you would like more information on the water advice pilot programmes or on our research into the energy and carbon effects of water saving then please visit the Key Initiatives section of the Corporate website

We recently held a joint event with the Environment Agency - Integrating approaches to water and energy - with the aim of bringing together the energy and water sectors and identifying practical opportunities to work together towards a low carbon future.

A policy paper with the key ideas from the event will be available shortly.

The presentations are available to download and are as follows:
Presenting the evidence: Carbon saving potential through water efficiency - Magda Styles, Policy Advisor - Water Resources, Environment Agency
Practical opportunities for integration of water and energy saving - Marian Spain, Director of Strategy, Energy Saving Trust
Integrated policy: challenges and opportunities - Trevor Bishop, Head of Water Resources Policy, Environment Agency

Key issues

• Over 5% of total UK carbon emissions come from water use in homes. Saving just 5% of this would save 1.75 million tonnes of CO2e each year - equivalent to taking 600,000 cars off the roads.

Our role

• We are an independent, UK-based organisation focused on promoting action that leads to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

• We aim to integrate water efficiency into all our core activities to reflect the contribution it can make to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. Our strategy sets out our priorities for this for 2009-2014.

Our views

Water efficiency advice

• Current water efficiency advice and help is fragmented and many consumers are wary of water companies advising them to save water.

• We would like to see a long-term, nationwide information campaign to raise awareness and offer advice on water saving and its links with carbon. We are uniquely placed to make this link more explicit to consumers and encourage even those who don't benefit financially from saving water to be efficient.

Water products information and labelling

• The current lack of labelling for water fittings and appliances is seriously hampering the delivery of water efficiency, transformation of market for water using products, consumer awareness and changes in behaviour.

• We would like to see one, UK-wide, government-supported, integrated water labelling scheme that can serve both the needs of the public and building professionals and will be working with other key stakeholders to achieve this.

Water efficient homes

• We would like to see a commitment from the government in England and Wales to progressively improve future regulatory water efficiency standards, and the recognition of the role of water efficiency in achieving zero carbon aspiration for homes.

• 70% of homes already built will still be around in 2050 yet there are currently no initiatives to improve their water use. We would like to see a clear government policy aimed at improving water efficiency in the existing housing stock

• Inefficient water fittings are widely available on the market. We would like the forthcoming review of Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations to set minimum standards of water use for a wide range of products. This would go a long way towards improving efficiency of existing buildings through routine refurbishment and replacement of fittings.

• We support high water efficiency standards in major new developments, particularly in areas of serious water stress. Standards in the proposed Eco-towns must be considerably better than in other developments.

Water metering

• The current way of charging for water has been shown to be neither fair nor effective in encouraging efficiency and the current piecemeal approach to metering is not efficient.

• Metering should become the basis of charging for all customers in the UK and we would like to see the majority of homes in England metered by 2020.

• Smart metering should be given more consideration, particularly given the planned national roll-out of energy smart meters within 10 years. Smart meters can further influence water saving behaviour and enable water companies to develop innovative tariffs that encourage water saving.

Water efficiency targets

• We welcome Ofwat's recent announcement of setting mandatory water efficiency targets for water companies in England and Wales from 2010. We look forward to assessing their impacts and role as a precursor to potentially establishing a wider Water Efficiency Commitment.

Water neutrality

• We support the ambition of achieving water neutrality as it could significantly transform the way people use water and reduce the associated carbon emissions. However, for it to work, there needs to be clarity of roles and a delivery mechanism to ensure that the intended water savings are delivered in real life.

National strategy for sustainable water use

• To achieve sustainable water use and reduce the associated carbon emissions there needs to be a clear, long-term national strategy supported by a range of regulations and incentives, led by the government and supported by water industry key stakeholders and regulators. As the consumer facing body providing support for individuals we will play a key role in making this happen.