Target is set for offices to do their bit...

Jun 29 2010 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

IT’S not just industrial users of water that need to take steps to conserve water.

The Building Research Establishment has set a best practice water consumption target for office-based businesses of 4m³ per employee per year. It is only an approximate target and would be expected to increase with larger offices or those with catering facilities. But you can work out how much water the average employee in your office consumes in a year by following this simple formula:

annual water consumption ÷ number of employees > water consumption per annum

Then you need to create a site water balance, based on the basic principle that what goes in must come out. It shows where water enters and leaves the office site, and where it is used in the meantime.

The government-funded programme Envirowise, set up to offer businesses advice about reducing their impact on the environment, has devised a six-stage plan to help organisations construct their own water balance.

Go to: agreeneroffice.co.uk