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Saving water at your workplace
Try these tips for saving water at your business or workplace.
Saving water at your workplace can be good for the environment and finances.
Customers and community members are increasingly interested in environmentally-conscious businesses and organisations, and improving your water efficiency could help you reach your sustainability goals.
Whether it’s at church, your local community centre or the business where you work, here are some ways you can save water and improve water efficiency at your organisation. You’ll find more tips in the video below.
Create a water optimisation team Identify people in your organisation who understand how the business uses water and who could help you champion change.
Identify people in your organisation who understand how the business uses water and who could help you champion change.
Research
Look for ‘low-hanging fruit’ like water leaks Take a close look at your water bill. Check to see if sudden or gradual changes make sense or if these changes could be caused by water leaks.
Take a close look at your water bill. Check to see if sudden or gradual changes make sense or if these changes could be caused by water leaks.
Look for opportunities to improve water use Look at the layout of the organisation’s site and think about all the different ways water is used across your workplace. Check meters can be a helpful tool to measure where water is being used and how much.
Look at the layout of the organisation’s site and think about all the different ways water is used across your workplace. Check meters can be a helpful tool to measure where water is being used and how much.
Check equipment and appliances Check that the equipment you already have – for example, automatic shutoff valves and moisture sensors – is working as it should. Are all your workplace appliances in eco or water-saving mode? Sometimes, water-saving devices or settings can be accidentally turned off or changed.
Check that the equipment you already have – for example, automatic shutoff valves and moisture sensors – is working as it should. Are all your workplace appliances in eco or water-saving mode? Sometimes, water-saving devices or settings can be accidentally turned off or changed.
Celebrate the winsCelebrate the wins, share updates with your team and bring them on the water conservation journey with you.
Celebrate the wins, share updates with your team and bring them on the water conservation journey with you.
Have a regular monitoring process in place Regularly check that everything in your system is working smoothly and keep track of your business’s water-use performance.
Regularly check that everything in your system is working smoothly and keep track of your business’s water-use performance.
Our Water Efficiency Management Plan can help your organisation understand where you are using water and prioritise practical and effective ways to improve water use.
Keep in mind how water savings could impact the quality of trade waste discharged
When looking at ways to save water, its important to keep in mind how any changes could impact the quality of your trade waste discharged. You must make sure that this wastewater remains within the concentration limits set in your trade waste agreement and the Auckland Council Trade Waste Bylaw 2013.
Kick-start water efficiency at your workplace
Whether the journey is big or small, it can be tricky to know where to start. We recommend starting with some easy wins, like making sure water-saving equipment is working the way you want it to.
Many of our customers are often surprised to find they have a hidden leak but equally pleased to see the savings on their monthly bill when the leak is repaired. These savings can be reinvested into equipment that minimises water wastage, like taps that only turn on when they sense your hands or flow aerators that deliver less water but with the same pressure.
Optimising the way a business or organisation uses water can take time, but it can make a measurable difference to your bill and environmental impact.
Our free water-saving posters can help remind your team members to save water.
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