Sutton and East Surrey Water

 

Sutton and East Surrey Water supplemented the Tap into Savings retrofitting at Furzefield School by giving a water efficiency presentation to pupils. SESW Education Co-ordinator Jo Hedges is seen explaining the need to save water and use it wisely.

Three Surrey schools will be saving money and thousands of litres of water every year following ‘retrofitting’ initiatives carried out as part of the Tap into Savings project currently underway in Redhill and Merstham.

The combined annual water savings achieved at Furzefield, St Matthews and Wray Common primary schools represent the yearly usage of seven average families.

The water savings have been gained by simple changes to existing toilets and taps at the schools, which have been retrospectively fitted (‘retrofitted’) with water efficiency devices, thanks to Tap into Savings – the UK’s biggest water and energy saving project.

“All of the schools are aware of the need to save water and none was knowingly wasting water. It’s just that some of the toilet cisterns, urinals and taps were dated models or designed to be effective rather than water-efficient. We didn’t remove the fittings, we simply adapted them,” explained Distribution Engineer Alison Murphy of Sutton and East Surrey Water, who oversaw the schools’ initiative for Tap into Savings.

Each of the schools had a ‘water audit’ carried out by conservation specialists Aqualogic before the retrofitting took place. Different water-saving devices were installed at each school. These included push taps, aerated taps, cistern volume displacers and urinal controls.

Alison Murphy added: “The reduction of water-use at these three local schools should bring them long-term cash savings, plus it is good news for water resources in the South East and for the environment overall.”

In addition to the Tap into Savings improvements to facilities, pupils at Furzefield Primary School also enjoyed a presentation on saving water by Sutton and East Surrey Water’s schools education team.  A full-school assembly was followed by curriculum-linked talks in individual classrooms. 

Tap into Savings is a joint project, funded partly by Defra’s Greener Living Fund and contributions from other project partners, led by Waterwise with the help of Raven Housing Trust, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Global Action Plan, and the Environment Agency.

Tap into Savings is currently aiming to help people in nearly 1,000 homes in Redhill and Merstham save water and energy, as well as money on household bills.  Retrofitting of water and energy efficient devices is being offered to homes in specific areas, combined with advice and tips, in order to promote savings without radically changing personal lifestyles.

Local residents are also taking part in EcoTeams  – neighbourhood groups of friends and relatives who meet regularly to learn and develop ways of saving water and energy, waste less and recycle more.

Tap into Savings is also being delivered in the Midlands and East Anglia later this year and will eventually involve more than 10,000 people. Tap into Savings results will be evaluated and announced early in 2011. For more information visit www.tapintosavings.org

Main contacts for media inquiries:
Victoria Higgins (for project lead, Waterwise)
vhiggins@waterwise.org.uk or 0207 957 4615

John Burbedge (for Sutton and East Surrey Water)
john.burbedge@surreyhouseuk.com or 01189 620609 / 01372 46011

Clare Webber (for Raven Housing Trust)
Clare.Webber@ravenht.org.uk or 01737 272417

NOTES TO EDITORS
Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (www.defra.gov.uk) Defra’s Third Sector Strategy, launched in November 2008, shows the Department’s commitment to working with the third sector (which includes voluntary and community organisations, charities, NGOs, co-operatives and social enterprises). The Greener Living Fund had a total budget of £6m to award in a two-year funding period and contributes to the Government’s work towards a sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient economy.

Global Action Plan (www.globalactionplan.org.uk) is a charity that helps people take practical action in their everyday lives for a better world.
 
Raven Housing Trust (Raven) (www.ravenht.org.uk) Redhill-based Raven Housing Trust manages almost 6,000 homes ranging from studio flats to five bedroom houses, sheltered accommodation for the elderly and affordable homes for key workers. Raven has an ambitious development programme to build more than 500 new homes by 2014. All new homes will be built to at least level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. 

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (Council) (www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk) is dedicated to achieving sustainable, thriving and self-reliant communities within an attractive, accessible and well-maintained Borough. 

Sutton and East Surrey Water (SESW) (www.waterplc.com) has a supply area of 322 square miles (834 sq km) and serves a population of more than 650,000 people in east Surrey, and parts of West Sussex, west Kent and south London.

The Environment Agency manages water resources to maintain supplies and protect the environment. It also encourages sustainable development and aims to help homes and businesses throughout England and Wales manage water use wisely both now and in the future

Waterwise (www.waterwise.org.uk) is the leading water efficiency organisation in the UK.  It is an independent, not-for-profit, nongovernmental organisation whose mission is to reduce the waste of water.