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How can we reduce per capita consumption?

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12/04/2019 Ideas

In early April 2019, the WRSE group held a collaborative workshop focused on how we can achieve ambitious reductions to per capita consumption (PCC) and sustain it at lower levels. 

Water efficiency leads from the six companies came together with regulators, Waterwise and independent experts to share knowledge and best practice, and identify how collectively we can drive down water use across the region. It comes as water efficiency continues to move up the national agenda with Defra soon to launch a call for evidence on setting a PCC target.

The group identified a number of key areas of focus that will be essential to achieve more ambitious, long-term PCC reduction including:

  • Technology advancement
  • Smart metering
  • Customer information and behaviour change (including labelling)
  • Building water efficient new homes
  • Driving water efficiency across all business sectors.

The event followed a leakage workshop held earlier in the year and the outputs from both events will now be used to shape the ongoing technical workstreams for each area.  Demand management – both leakage and PCC – will be a critical part of WRSE’s regional multi-sector resilience plan which will be developed ahead of the next round of Water Resource Management Plans.

Alison Murphy, Water Resources Strategy Manager at SES Water and the Programme Management Board lead for Water Efficiency, said: “The south east water companies have a history of working collaboratively on water efficiency projects, but the bar has been raised and we are committed to achieving more ambitious short and long-term targets. We can’t do this alone so collaboration between companies, regulators and a range of stakeholders is essential so that we can make progress more quickly through learning and sharing what works, working together and encouraging others to take action.”

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