A Leicester company is this month being recognised by government-funded programme Envirowise for its progress in minimising water use – and saving money in the process.

SPS Technologies Ltd - which manufactures aircraft components and employs 355 staff at its plant in Leicester - is one of more than a hundred companies which took the plunge and signed up to the Envirowise big splash campaign in 2004, with the aim of reducing their water usage.

Before joining the big splash, the company had already implemented a number of water saving initiatives in its washrooms. The big splash helped the company to monitor areas of its site where further savings could be made. Particular attention was paid to the cooling water used on a heat treat furnace, where readings of flow and coolant temperature were taken to identify the optimum flow rate of the mains cooling water.

Keith Mayne, Continuous Improvement Engineer, at SPS Technologies Ltd is delighted with the company’s achievements: “The action taken on the heat treat furnace alone has saved us 15% on our water bill, and 34 times the cost of the project. We have already reduced water consumption by around 24% overall, resulting in savings of £3,400.”

Julie Adams, Envirowise Manger for the East Midlands, says: “Envirowise has calculated that if every business in the East Midlands leaves just one tap dripping for a day, a staggering 3.6 million litres of water would be wasted. (1)  Over the course of a year, the cost to businesses in the region would be more than £1 million. (2)

“As the UK faces widespread water rationing for the first time in nearly ten years - taking action is now more important than ever. By signing up to the Big Splash challenge in 2005, we can give local companies free, confidential guidance on water minimisation, including an on-site water and waste review and help with implementation and evaluation. Many businesses just don’t realise that simple no-cost or low-cost water conservation techniques could cut their annual water consumption by up to 30 per cent.”

To get started, Envirowise recommends considering the following low cost measures:

(1)   Turn taps off fully and replace leaking hoses and worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water. In staff washrooms, push-button taps can use up to half the water used through conventional taps and help prevent floods in event of a sink becoming blocked.
(2)   Check your water system for leaks, which can be expensive and cause damage to your building. Take meter readings regularly and carefully – if you are paying for water that you cannot account for you may have a leak.
(3)   Reduce your need for mains supply water by looking at ways you could recycle ‘grey water’ such as cleaning equipment, vehicles or outside areas.
(4)   To reduce the amount of clean water used in every toilet flush, fit a water displacement device into cisterns – these are often available free of charge from your local water company.
(5)   Run a staff competition to identify water-saving ideas or organise a brainstorm. Consider appointing ‘water wardens’ to take responsibility for water minimisation measures in each area of your site.

Envirowise can also offer industry-specific advice on reducing water wastage.

SPS Technologies will be attending an awards ceremony in London on 20 July in recognition for its water-saving environmental improvements.

To find out more about the Big Splash challenge, and sign up to start saving money and water, call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794 or visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/bigsplash

(1) Based on one dripping tap wasting the equivalent of 26 litres of water a day (Envirowise publication GG67 ‘Cost-effective water saving devices and practices’), and on there being 139,590 businesses in the East Midlands (ONS: ‘UK Business: Activity, Size and Location 2004’)

(2) Based on the cost of water being approximately 0.08 pence per litre (www.ofwat.gov.uk)

Issued on behalf of Envirowise by Harrison Cowley. For further information please contact Kate Sturley or Rod Dennis on 0117 929 2311 or kates@harrisoncowley.com

About Envirowise

Envirowise delivers a valuable programme of confidential advice to UK businesses. This advice enables businesses to improve profitability and reduce environmental impact.

Independent, practical and proven guidance is available through the Envirowise Advice Line, information resources and on site visits (Ireland, Scotland and Wales only) delivered by a national team of expert advisors.  Each solution is driven by the specific needs of individual firms, to genuinely improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness.  Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save £1 billion.

The Envirowise programme is available to any UK business, completely free of charge.  For more information visit www.envirowise.gov.uk or call 0800 585 794.