Increase of Water charges for the hospitality sector

All of us living in the Western world, have never known any different but an unlimited amount of water coming out of our taps and showers. You could argue therefore, that it is not our fault, to think this natural resources is unlimited and can be used as we please.

I’ve sometimes walked into a public bathroom and a tap is open at full force while nobody is using it. I myself, used to brush my teeth in the past while leaving the tap open, or washed dirty dishes without using a stopper in the sink.

This is not a guilt trip for anyone, we only know what we have been given all our lives, we think that water will never stop coming, and therefore, conserving it is not necessary.

Changes are coming

In Ireland, households do not have to pay for water. This is very different in all other European countries. In fact, Ireland and Northern Ireland are the only jurisdictions in the EU without domestic water charges. (https://www.thejournal.ie/what-countries-in-europe-have-water-charges-facts-3002075-Oct2016/ )

But changes are coming, and coming sooner than we think.

We all saw the people of Ireland taking to the streets in 2015, protesting against the introduction of domestic water charges, and the subsequent abolition of the scheme by the government. But the reality is, water is not a free natural resource, neither it is unlimited.

While the media has not put much emphasis on what is coming down the line, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, has approved water charges to be introduced to those households that “waste” the most water, as soon as Autumn 2019. Households that use more than 213,000 litres of water per year, will be liable to pay €1.85 for every 1,000 litres of water over the threshold.

Further more, commercial water charges, are set to rise also by early 2020. Some counties, might see an increase of nearly 100% on their charges.

So what does it mean to your business?

Green Hospitality statistics suggests that a typical 100 bedroom hotel uses approximately 12,500 M3 of water, and therefore pays between €24,000 or €37,875 per annum, depending on the price of water in the county they reside. Some businesses might see an increase of over €10,000 per year, once the new tariffs come into place.

Regardless how much your business is going to be affected by these changes, the smart thing to do, is to reduce your water use. Most hospitality businesses, use more water than they need to. Worst even, most hospitality business, do not know how much water they use, and how that usage compares to good practice standards.

It is literally the equivalent of putting money down your drain.

What can you do to reduce water use at your business?

• The very first thing is to invest some time on finding out how much water your business uses.
• Read your bills, learn how many M3 (Cubic metres) of water you use per year, and then, find out how much water you use per customer, so you can use this figure as your “per customer” indicator.
• Find out if you have a leak, simply read your water metre at night, when you know water is not been used. If the meter moves, you more than likely have an undetected leak in your system.
• Delve a little further. Find out what your actual water flow rate is in your taps and showers, and compare your water flow rate to good practice standards.

According to Green Hospitality Ireland, good practice standards for a Hospitality business flow rate are:

• Taps: 8 litres per minute
• Showers: 10 litres per minute
• Cisterns: 6 litres per flush.

If your taps, showers and cisterns are above those standards, you are over using, and therefore over paying for water.

How can you find out your water flow rate?

Find out your water flow rate in taps and showers is very simple. You can do it yourself and it only takes a couple of minutes per tap.

• Get a bucket where you can collect water and place it under your tap or shower.
• Open the tap at full force for 10 seconds, ensuring the water lands in the bucket.
• Calculate how much water you collected by using a measuring jug.
• Multiply your result by 6 (60 seconds in one minute). This is your water flow rate, per minute.

It is that simple.

Regardless of increases on water charges, learning how much water your business uses, and applying actions to reduce your use, is the SMART thing to do.

It will save you money, it will increase your reputation amongst your customers by showing you care about conserving water, and most of all, it is the right thing to do.

For a detail, step by step, water conservation program that you can implement at your business right now, check out our Green Business training course.