Research projects

Because of water resource issues in the south of England our sister company, Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW), are at the forefront of research and development into water conservation. Research projects are carried out on a continual basis with the aim of gaining a better understanding of water use within the supply area and to aid the demand forecasting. It is essential that ESW understand fully the way in which its consumers, both commercial and domestic, use their water.

Increasing population and modern lifestyles are creating challenges that Essex & Suffolk Water face now and in the future. Researching aspects such as the use of particular water using appliances, customers perceptions and behavioural patterns of water use and quantifying different types of water use all provide information that is crucial to Essex & Suffolk Water’s demand forecasting.

Use the links at the bottom of the page to discover what research has been recently completed:

Identiflow monitoring of new properties
Essex Fire and Rescue water utilisation
Shower types, use and research
RHS Hyde Hall
Retrofitting of variable flush devices to existing toilets
Water efficiency awareness amongst teenagers

 

Identiflow monitoring of new properties

In February 2006, Essex & Suffolk Water identified the need to carry out microcomponent monitoring of a sample of new properties to gain a better understanding of water use in new properties during non-peak demand periods. Twenty new properties were monitored using Identiflow ®. Identiflow ®, developed by WRc, is a unique system capable of quantifying the consumption of individual water-using appliances within a property.

A flow meter and logger system is installed in an external meter boundary box, and is capable of recording 1/100th of a litre consumption flows at 1 second intervals. The information collected through the research will be applied to Essex & Suffolk Waters’ demand planning and will also be used to forecast the increased consumption resulting from the proposed Thames Gateway developments. The per household consumption (phc) for the sample of new properties was 264 l/prop/day.

Visit the WRc website at www.wrcplc.co.uk

 

Essex Fire and Rescue water utilisation

To maintain an effective and efficient service of water delivery and support activity, water companies are continually challenged to understand how much of the water managed by each company is utilised by different consumer groups. This information is not only of potentially great commercial value to the water companies but also forms part of the reporting requirements applied to the water companies through the appointed regulator Ofwat.

 

Showers types, use and research

In February 2006, Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) invited Per Capita Solutions (PCS) to undertake a research study into the shower use patterns, the factors influencing shower use and choice, and their interrelationships. Survey questionnaires were completed across a wide cross-section of the ESW customer base in Essex, taking account of social demographics, property types and property age bands. The research was completed on both measured and unmeasured properties where a shower was installed. Surveys were carried out face-to-face with the customers using visual prompts.

ESW provided 10,929 addresses for the purpose of this study. PCS made survey appointments where possible a few days in advance. Cold calls were also carried out on customers’ doorsteps. 1140 calls were attempted in total and 425 contacts were made. Of these, 238 declined to take part in the survey and 79 had no showers. 108 appointments were made of which 9 were either cancelled or missed. PCS undertook cold-calls where there were gaps in the appointment programme to maximize cost benefits. A total of 229 surveys were completed in this manner, bringing the total number of completed surveys to 328.

Please use the following link to see the full report: Showers types, use and research

Visit the Per Capita Solutions website at http://www.percapita.uk.com/

 

RHS Hyde Hall

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Dry Garden at Hyde Hall, situated near Rettendon and supported by Essex & Suffolk Water, has been designed and planted to demonstrate how a garden can be created without the need for artificial irrigation. The garden, being located in one of the driest areas of the British Isles, demonstrates sustainable horticultural techniques that are appropriate for the region and low rainfall areas in general. Water-wise gardening techniques are employed throughout the garden at Hyde Hall. Through the Dry Garden we aim to demonstrate how plants of great diversity and interest can be used without the need for irrigation, thus preserving a precious resource - water.

Visit the RHS website for more information at: www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/gardens/hydehall/index.asp

Or contact Hyde Hall by telephoning 01245 400 256.

Up to 70% of our domestic water supply is poured and spinkled onto our gardens during hot summer weather.  The Garden factsheet aims to give you information about how to make your garden water efficient.

 

Retrofitting of variable flush devices to existing toilets

In 2004, Essex & Suffolk Water carried out a successful project, along with nine other water companies and the Environment Agency, aimed at quantifying water savings at the household level resulting from the retrofitting of variable flush devices on existing toilets. 30 domestic metered properties in Laindon, Essex were monitored for six weeks before retrofitting and six weeks after the devices were installed. The data collected by each company was collaborated and in the weeks after the devices were installed water demand fell by an average of 8.5% per property.

Essex & Suffolk Water recognised the importance of assessing the effectiveness of the devices in the long-term. With this in mind, we have continued to monitor the properties during the same six-week period each year up to and including 2008.

Follow-up research questionnaires have been sent to the participants annually, to discover whether the devices remained in place and how effectively they were working in the years following installation. To assess the water savings, it was also important that any occupancy changes were known. The questionnaires also provided an opportunity to find this out. By April 2008, 11 properties had removed their WC retrofit devices for varying reasons. The majority had been removed through bathroom replacement or refurbishment. Several devices were also removed due to device failure in the subsequent years.

Analysis of the 2008 consumption data revealed that each property with the variable flush retrofit devices still installed continued to save on average 8.5 litres per day. This is an important finding and proves that retrofitting WCs provides sustained savings. The remaining properties, although reducing in sample size, will be monitored in 2009.

 

Water efficiency awareness amongst teenagers

Essex & Suffolk Water worked in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in 2006, with the aim of building an educational programme aimed at delivering water efficiency messages to 12-14 year olds. ARU’s schools liaison unit approached Great Baddow High School who agreed to allow the research to be carried out as part of the Year 8 science project.

The study found that 12-14 year olds did not use water particularly wisely although they were generally aware of the need to conserve water. Their parents did not influence them about how they should use water, which could be due to the parent’s lack of knowledge. The students were interested in the idea of having small reminders in the bathroom to remind them to use water wisely, but a very mixed response was received when it came to being willing to learn about water efficiency. Students were found to be money orientated by the objects that they wanted in reward for being more water efficient.

Visit Anglia Ruskin University’s website at www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home.html
Visit Baddow High School’s website at www.greatbaddow.com/