Tom Andrewartha, customer strategy and campaign delivery manager at Essex & Suffolk Water, shares some top tips on reducing your water usage. 

In this cost-of-living crisis, small changes in the home can help reduce both water and fuel bills. 

Around a fifth of the energy used in homes is used to heat water. Boiling kettles, showering, running hot taps – it all adds to energy bills and to our carbon footprints – but most of us can reduce our water and energy use without any negative impact. 

At Essex & Suffolk Water, we have a strong commitment to support customers who have difficulty paying their bills, and to our environment, having reduced our carbon emissions by over 90% on our journey to net zero. 

The two are linked. Using less water means spending less on energy and, for those on a water meter, on their bills too. 

If we’re using less water at home, we’re also reducing the amount that water companies need to treat to drinking water standards and transfer to homes – through a network that often requires pumping. 

It all adds up to a positive step towards net zero, reducing our personal carbon footprint, that of water companies and of the country as a whole. 

Part of this journey has focused on us reducing our energy use when supplying water to homes – using smart software that makes taking water from the environment and delivering it to homes more efficient.

East Anglian Daily Times: Turning the tap off while brushing your teeth can reduce water and fuel billsTurning the tap off while brushing your teeth can reduce water and fuel bills (Image: Essex & Suffolk Water)

Here are a few simple tips to get you started on your own reductions: 

  • Reduce the time you spend in the shower (27% of water used in the home is in the shower) 
  • Check if you have a leaky loo (we might even be able to fix it for free) 
  • Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth 

Reducing water usage is only part of our work to achieve net zero. 

The UK water industry has committed to a world-first sector-wide route map to net zero in 2030 – and Essex & Suffolk Water’s own ambitious goal is to achieve this in 2027. In September, we published our latest figures, showing carbon emission reductions from 303,000 tonnes to just 22,000. 

So, back to what you can do. Many of the ways people can reduce their usage are really simple and cost absolutely nothing.  

There are even more great tips on the Essex & Suffolk Water website at www.eswater.co.uk