25 August 2011

A third of UK women leave the shower running while shaving their legs, wasting around 50bn litres of water a year – enough to supply London for 25 days, according to research published today.

And almost one in four of us leaves the tap running when brushing our teeth, accounting for around 120bn litres of water wasted per year, a Thames Water survey of 1,800 people indicated.

In a bid to encourage people to value this increasingly precious resource and use less of it without making drastic changes to their lifestyles, Thames Water has come up with an innovative virtual solution - Waterwisely www.thameswater.co.uk/waterwisely, the world's first online water-efficient town.

Launch Waterwisely

The company says Waterwisely can help its 8.8m customers "shave" up to £75 off their water and energy bills each year.

"Waterwisely is an invaluable tool that will help people to save water and reduce household bills. The more that people understand about their water usage, the more they can do to help themselves and the environment."
Richard Benyon MP, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries

Richard Aylard, director of sustainability for Thames Water, said:

"It may seem like it's always raining, but we’ve had below average rainfall across our region for nine of the past 12 months, while drought has been declared in other parts of the UK. Come rain of shine water should never be wasted.

"Our research proves the majority of people have a 'water conscience', with more than 90% of people saying they would feel guilty about wasting water. We now need to help our customers use even less of it, which is why we have created something a bit different, rather than trotting out the same old water-saving tips."

Waterwisely is an interactive town, where visitors can:  

• pick up free water-saving gadgets for taps, toilets and showers;
• calculate their water use and get a personal report, highlighting how they can make greater water savings; 
• compare their water use with the rest of the country; 
• get tips and make pledges, which can be shared with friends on Facebook.

Mr Aylard added:

"Unlike other 'water calculators' out there, we've made Waterwisely as interactive as possible so visitors can get a personal report and tailored advice to suit their needs – while having a bit of fun exploring the town. We’re also offering our customers a range of free top-quality gadgets that could help them reduce their water use by up to a quarter, and reduce their utility bills by up to £75 a year."    

Of the people approached in Thames Water's survey, which was carried out by an external provider, 92% believed water is taken for granted in the UK, while 82% said they consciously tried to save water at home.

More than half of those surveyed said they do everything they can to limit the amount of water they waste with 96% even saying they would turn off a tap in a public toilet or restaurant if they saw it running.

This weekend Thames Water is also supporting Start, an initiative by HRH The Prince of Wales to inspire the UK to take simple steps towards living more sustainably. Thames Water will attend a five-day event at Kew Gardens from Thursday 25 August to Monday 29 August, where visitors can try out Waterwisely and get water-saving advice and products.