WATER CONSERVATION AWARENESS

Kevin Murray

Chartered Engineer

March 2011

KEVIN MURRAY

Chartered Engineer

Civil & Structural

Ex-Chairman - Cork Region Engineers Ireland

Chairman - Transport & Infrastructure Cork Chamber

Principal - Kevin J Murray & Co Ltd

20+ years experience as a Consulting Engineer

10+ years experience in Water Pricing in Ireland

Non-Domestic Water Metering Programme

Implementation & Guidance Notes

SCHEDULE

Part One:

10:00 Introductions

10:15 Future of Water Services in Ireland

11:00 Open Discussion (Tea & Coffee)

Part Two:

11:20 Manage the Water Bill

11:40 Water Conservation Projects

12:00 Wastewater

12:20 Individual Action Plans

12:30 Finish

THE FUTURE OF WATER SERVICES IN

IRELAND

- Based on a presentation to the Urban Forum (Jan 2011)

BACKGROUND

EU Water Framework Directive

National Water Pricing Policy

Water Services Act 2007

River Basin Management Plans

Water Services Investment Program

Local Government Fund

Non-Domestic Water Charges

Development Levies (RIP)

Borrowings

CONTEXT

Assessment of Water & Waste Water Services for

Enterprise - Forfás (Sept 2008)

Capacity

Cost

Quality

Water Conservation ~ Unaccounted-for-water (ufw)

Climate Change

EU Directives & ECJ Judgements

Financial Crisis

Domestic Water Charges (2012-13)

FUNDING THE SERVICE

WHERE IS THE FUNDING GAP?

The Three Card Trick:

How can the Water Service

Authority deliver a service when

the money is filtered through

Central Government?

To whom does the Customer

complain if the service is poor, if

the responsibility is split?

Shared responsibility is no

responsibility.

The service provider must

have control of the revenue.

€CustomerWater Service

Authority

Central

Government

WHO NEEDS THE FUNDING

Water Service Authorities

Service Delivery Needs

The Competent Authority

The Construction Sector

40 months of contraction

Projects delayed & jobs lost

The Customer

Finance water efficiency measures

The Regulators

Quality Assurance & Building Control

DOMESTIC WATER CHARGES

Water Charges without meters first?

Why not?

OFWAT => Only 10% difference in consumption.

1.2 million properties (public water)

€500 standard charge; €300 for low occupancy.

Allow 10% for Administration;

Allow 10% for Social Welfare Assistance.

=> Annual Revenue of €384m per annum

(Displacement of Exchequer Funding; But Direct.)

DOMESTIC WATER METERS

Procurement & Installation Cost = €0.5bn to €0.6bn

Change in Customer Behaviour (10%)

Saving of €15m per annum of water production costs.

Based on 70:30 Fixed:Variable cost split.

Capture of Customer-side Leakage (50%)

Saving of €75m per annum of water production costs.

Based on 70:30 Fixed:Variable cost split.

Six (6) years to recover the costs of metering.

Excludes value of deferred capital investment.

UNIVERSAL WATER CHARGES

Domestic & Non-Domestic

Average or Marginal Capital Costs

One price for water

Postalisation

Abolition of “Domestic Allowance”

No universal free allocation of water!

Streamlined revenue collection procedures

Disconnection Policy

FULL COST RECOVERY

Water charges in Ireland are relatively low.

Germany = €5.50 /m3; Ireland = €2.30 /m3

This is not because we have magically become

more efficient than the Germans!

Germany seeks full cost recovery; Ireland does not.

IMF – Memorandum of Understanding

Historic Mains Rehabilitation;

Abstraction Charges;

Stormwater Charges.

THE INSURANCE PURSE

Who Benefits from Water Meters?

Claims – Subsidence & Property Damage

Due to water loss from leaking pipes.

Solution – Water Meters & Leak Alerts

Catch & Fix the leaks quickly.

Insurance Levy to help pay for water

meter installation?

Policy discounts for customers with

meters with leak alert facility?

YOUR FUNDING GAP

The Home Owner also has a funding gap.

Needs financial help to make the home more water

efficient; and benefit from cheaper bills.

Water efficiency is a proxy for Energy efficiency

Extend the Home Energy Efficiency grants to include

water efficient fittings.

Water Conservation Schemes

Find a way of including the service pipe to the first tap.

The Toilet Scrappage Scheme 2011

PRIVATE INVESTMENT

PPP Schemes for Treatment Plants

Typically DBO, without the private finance.

Performance assured; but so is the fee.

Is there scope for further private investment?

DBFO might be considered; but the larger schemes

have been completed;

Sell public water and waste water treatment assets to

the private sector and purchase the service;

National Water Company

The value of the Customer Database

WATER SERVICE INVESTMENT PROGRAMME

The Construction Sector has suffered from the

funding gap more than any other part of society.

The continued contraction of the construction sector

demonstrates that the funding gap remains.

WSIP promises €3.8bn of contracts to start by

2012; but progress has been very slow.

The co-funding issues between Central

Government and Local Government must be

resolved quickly.

NEW STRUCTURES

WATER SERVICES STRUCTURES

No lack of ideas for new structures

Some are ideologically motivated;

National Water Authority?

National Water Company?

National Roads & Water Authority? (NRA+)

Commission for Utility Regulation? (CER+)

Regionalised Water Service Authorities?

Shared Service Centres?

National Billing Agency?

Regional Water Management Units?

ABSENT FRIENDS

Economic Regulator

Who audits the price of water?

Customer Representative

Who speaks on behalf of the Customer?

Customer Care Centre

Where does the customer go for information?

Custodian of the Source Water

Who is the custodian of the source water?

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

If it ain’t broke (too badly) don’t fix it (worse).

Don’t bring water services into an existing organisation

as a solution to problems elsewhere.

Scale

If a local authority is too small to dedicate staff to

network management, then a larger scale is required.

Should billing be managed nationally;

and customer queries handled locally?

Separation of Powers

Who is the Regulator? [Price & Quality]

Who is the Service Provider?

THE FUTURE OF WATER

To provide a professional and sustainable national

drinking water service with outstanding customer

service and well-managed infrastructure.

WATER IRELAND

National Water Company

State Owned; Commercial Remit; Regulated Monopoly

Developed out of a National Water Metering Operator

Phased adoption of water services assets

Non-regulated international operations

Customer Service Centre

Utility Regulator

Economic Regulator

Service Levels

Single national price for water

Separate Environmental Regulator (EPA)

KEY ATTRIBUTES

Semi-National Water Grid

Top Supply (Shannon) matched to Top Demand (Dublin)

Consolidation of plethora of small town schemes

Unaccounted for water less than 15%

Zero carbon; Zero (non-renewable) energy

Smart Metering; Smart Grid

Local Provision

Chlorinated public water not wasted

Rainwater Harvesting & Greywater Systems

Water efficiency maintains water availability

OTHER PLAYERS

Transformed role of Local Authorities

No longer water service delivery

Custodians of the Source Water

River Basin Management Plan Structures

Data Protection Commissioner

The value of the customer data to be protected

Customer Representation

Consumer Council for ALL utilities

MANAGE THE WATER BILL

MANAGE THE WATER BILL

Understand the Water Bill

Conduct a Water Audit

Water In & Water Out

Automatic Meter Reading

Web Displays

THE WATER BILL - POLICY

In accordance with the Governments Water Pricing Policy, all “non domestic” supplies are to be charged on a metered basis to recover operational costs of water provided and to achieve metering of all non-domestic customers. This is in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle and the requirements of Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive.

Water invoices are calculated by means of a metered charge based on the volume of water used.The charge for customers who have a water and sewage connection is based on the basis of the “water in/water out” principle.

www.limerickcoco.ie

LIMERICK COUNTY COUNCIL (2011)

In respect of connections to the Council Water Network and Sewerage System:- €200 per annum meter charge plus €2.60 per cubic meter of water supplied.

In respect of connections to the Council Water Network only:- €200 per annum meter charge plus €1.15 per cubic meter of water supplied.

In respect of connections to the Council Sewerage Network only:-

€200 per annum meter charge plus €1.45 per cubic meter of water supplied to or used on the premises

READ THE METER

An average water meter will look like the picture to the left.On top, you will see the serial number, 07M244508.

There will be 5 digits in black on a white background, and 2 (or 3) in white on red background. The black digits are cubic meters (m³). You are charged based on reading of these 5 digits.

In the middle is one red dial, which will rotate if water is running through the meter. The faster this spins, the more water is being used.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD BE PAYING?

Typical Business uses 50 litres of water per

employee per day

If you have 10 employees, and you are on both

public water mains and sewers, then you would be

using:

50 x 10 = 500 litres/day = 0.5 m3/day

If you work a 5-day week, then the quarterly bill

should be:

0.5 m3 x 13 x 5 x €2.60 = €84.50 (by volume)

plus €50.00 (standing)

Total = €134.50 (/Qtr)

SIMPLE WATER AUDIT

What if the bill is (a lot) higher than you expect?

Turn off all the taps

(early in the morning or late at night)

Check the Meter

If the “spinner” is spinning, then water is going through

the meter, i.e. probably a leak;

If it is not a leak?

You may be donating water to a neighbour!

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER …..

Check for dripping taps

A dripping tap can lose almost as much water as one

employee;

Check for faulty fittings

Overflow and pressure-release valves;

Sometimes they empty directly to the drains;

Call a plumber

Call specialist leak detection firms, e.g. LowFlo

CASE STUDY

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Reading

Reading

HOW TO TURN €20,000 INTO €4,000?

WATER “IN” MAY NOT BE WATER “OUT”

The volume of Water coming in ……..

…….. equals the volume of water going out.

Not necessarily so.

And then there may be a Domestic Allowance?

Could be worth €500-€600 of discounts each year.

BENCHMARK & MONITOR

Automatic Meter Reading

Leak Alarm

Web-Based Displays

Temetra; HomeRider; Watersave; Meter Technology Ireland

ANECDOTE:

A small UK local authority had requested a proposalfor a water conservation project to cover all theirbuildings, schools, offices sports centres etc.

While they were impressed by the environmentaland cost benefits they were concerned about theestimated capex charge - £35,000 to cover AMRand the installation of water saving devices.

On the morning of the meeting to discuss nextsteps the Authority received a water bill for £32,000for one school where a leak had gone undetectedfor 5 months.

The order was placed immediately.

WATER CONSERVATION PROJECTS

WATER CONSERVATION PROJECTS

Rainwater Harvesting

Water Efficiency Fittings

Frost Protection

Lead Pipe Replacement

Behavioural Change

RAINWATER HARVESTING

Basic Principles:-

Collect rainwater from the roof gutters and downpipes;

Filter & Store in a tank;

Use in toilets, but not for drinking or washing.

Commercial Installations:-

Installations at €3,000 to €5,000

Payback in 5 – 10 years

Market competition

Kingspan; RainCatchers; etc.

Rainwater Harvesting Grants Scheme (€8m)

Agriculture

RAINWATER HARVESTING (RAIN CATCHERS)

RAINWATER HARVESTING PILOT PROJECT 20071. Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable water conservation measure.

2. Harvested rainwater is an underused source of raw water and its use has the potential to contribute to the sustainability of raw water sources of supply and to the long term viability of water treatment plants.

3. Harvested rainwater has the potential to supplement sources of water supply for non-potable uses.

4. The design and installation of a rainwater harvesting system should be undertaken by competent/specialist trained personnel.

5. Ongoing maintenance of a rainwater harvesting system is required to ensure optimum performance.

6. Current water charging policies act as a disincentive to the installation of rainwater harvesting systems.

7. The introduction of a significant level of grant aid would, therefore, be required in order to have rainwater harvesting considered a financially viable option.

8. The provision and siting of storage for harvested rainwater will depend on site restrictions and capacity needs.

9. The utilisation of harvested rainwater for domestic hot water use could, under appropriate conditions, be considered as a safe and sustainable alternative supply to mains water, with a possible reduction in demand of up to 80%.

10. The potential benefits of rainwater harvesting are not widely appreciated by the public at large or by those involved in building design and construction.

National Rural Water Monitoring Committee

WATER EFFICIENT FITTINGS

Replace single flush toilets NOW

New dual-flush toilet set €150+ (plus labour)

Annual water saving €135+

Pay back in 1 or 2 years

Pays to invest in quality

Pressure Reducing Valves

Air Entraining Taps

Push Taps

Urinal Management Systems

Infra-Red Break Beams

Timing Systems

Pay back in less than a year

FROST PROTECTION

Business Disruption; Water Damage; Leak repair

Cost of water possibly less important;

Unless the leak is not detected.

Check that exposed pipes are lagged in cold

spaces;

Check that the boundary box is insulated;

Check that pipes are buried 750mm (30”);

Turn water off and drain system if closed for

holidays!

LEAD PIPE REPLACEMENT

Many older properties still have old

lead piping between the boundary

and the building;

High risk of leakage (ongoing);

Apart from plumbosolvency health

risk;

Customer-side leakage is known to

be at least half of the overall leakage

in the system.

BEHAVIOUR

Ofwat (UK):

Water metering reduces consumption by 10% in the

medium term;

People do not recognise water as expensive;

Education is very important:

Schools (Green Flag Initiatives)

Tap Tips

Dublin Local Authorities;

WASTE WATER

WASTE WATER

Fats, Oils & Greases (FOG)

Macerators

Stormwater Separation & Infiltration

FATS, OILS & GREASES (FOGS)

FOGs are a menace for sewer

maintenance

Very costly & disruptive

Licensing & Inspection regime

Being rolled out nationally

Started in Dublin City Council

Grease Trap

Check that it is being used;

Check that it is maintained;

Check that it is suitable.

MACERATORS

Installed under the sink to “chop up” food waste for

disposal to the drains;

A way of avoiding waste charges.

But:

They increase the organic loading at wastewater

treatment plants;

This is reducing the effective capacity of the treatment

plants;

The DEHLG and local authorities would like to see them

banned from sale;

The Food Waste Regulations (2009) indirectly curtail the

use of in-sink macerators.

STORMWATER SEPARATION & INFILTRATION

Stormwater Charges

Not included in Irish Non-Domestic Water Pricing Policy

Some UK Water Companies do charge for stormwater

Infiltration

Groundwater leaking into broken drains

Leaking water pipes – Direct to sewer!

Increased costs of collection and treatment

Environmental damage

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)

INDIVIDUAL ACTION PLANS

INDIVIDUAL ACTION PLANS

SMART Objectives:

Specific

A project; Not a philosophy;

Measurable

Cut water bill by a set amount;

Achievable

Start with an easy win;

Realistic

Within available resources;

Timely

Not open ended;

FURTHER ADVICE

Kevin Murray

Kevin J Murray & Co

“Bellagio”, Glenbrook, Monkstown, Co Cork.

kevin@kevinjmurray.com

086 8148510

www.kevinjmurray.com

THANK YOU

www.kevinjmurray.com

@KJMurrayCEng