DFES Water Savings

DfES makes water savings of up to 35% at various sites.

In relation to issues surrounding water consumption the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) signed a water services contract (WSC) with ADSM, following concerns about water consumption at its five major office sites.

The WSC included a range of water savings measures (explored in a little more detail below), leading to a reduction in water consumption of approximately 10,000m³ in the following year.

Key Features of the contract:

• Installation of water-saving equipment.
• Provision of a full monitoring and evaluation service. This included bill validation and the production of performance reports for each of the sites where water efficiency measures had been implemented. Meter readings were checked against the water supplier invoices and quantified to ensure accuracy and to provide early warnings of any potential leaks or equipment faults.
• Site surveys were carried out free of charge- including a bill validation service.
• The DfES also receives regular water consumption reports for all the sites covered by WSC contracts - enabling the department to monitor the performance of all of its sites in order for ADSM to take immediate action in the event of an unexpected event, such as a leak.

ADSM is continuing to monitor water consumption at these six DfES sites as part of a five-year strategy.