AquaFund® delivered on the values which were important to the University of Portsmouth
Background
The University of Portsmouth is award winning, forward thinking and modern and is situated in one of Britain’s most historic cities on the south coast of England.
It was originally founded in 1859 as the ‘Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts’ to train engineers and skilled workman for the city docks and the nearby royal navy dockyard.
In the 1960s it became Portsmouth Polytechnic and was granted University status in July 1992.
The university has over 20,000 students, 3,000 staff and is split over 43 sites on two campuses. There are various buildings scattered throughout the city including halls of residence, flats, a student village, bar, restaurant, sports fields and sports facilities, libraries, shops and the students’ union.
Teaching facilities include Faculties of Science; Technology; Creative and cultural industries; Humanities and social sciences, together with a Business School.
The values were:
cash savings
efficiency savings
a sustainable water supply
global humanitarian fairness
Projected year on year saving of 20%
The water efficiency
With so many staff, students and buildings at the University of Portsmouth, the demands on the water utility were considerable and also ever-increasing. Water costs were escalating and water consumption was having a local environmental impact.
The University of Portsmouth wanted to take measures to monitor and control its water usage. This would enable it to make water efficiencies and thereby reduce its water consumption, lessening its environmental impact and contributing to its sustainable practices.
The goal
The University had several specific objectives. They where to:
- Reduce water consumption and water leaks across all buildings and sites to meet a target water consumption reduction by 2011
- Stay on track to meet UK Government Sustainable Development Targets
- Adopt environmental management best practice by employing water efficiencies
- Ensure those efficiencies are ongoing for continual environmental improvement
- Reduce the University’s carbon footprint associated with water usage
- Comply with governmental target reductions regarding water efficiencies
- Comply with environmental legislation on water usage whilst controlling and improving the University’s performance against the Environmental Management Standard – ISO 14001
The approach
The University chose to take advantage of ADSM’s AquaFund® scheme to achieve water-related environmental efficiency. The AquaFund® scheme provides a financial grant, the resources and the expertise to reduce water consumption, without any loss of service provision.
Obstacles
Water consumption reporting and monitoring in previous years had been rather erratic due to water leaks and delayed billing, so consumption data was unreliable and inconsistent.
Why the University chose AquaFund®
Proven results:
- ADSM has a very successful track record in saving water for other Universities
Financial grant:
- The AquaFund® scheme makes water saving possible – and the University didn’t need to set aside any budget
Finance benefits:
- AquaFund® would save additional money by negotiating on the University’s behalf for water procurement, optimised tariffs and by providing bill validation
- Consumption targets are met and reductions are maintained, guaranteeing the financial savings
- Complete financial visibility through the monthly reporting on all water consumption and improvements
Engineering expertise and high tech solutions:
- AquaFund® water saving technologies are state-of-the-art – and installed and maintained by their experts
Environmental benefits:
- AquaFund® constantly monitors the water usage and investigates any anomalies, such as potential leaks, with a philosophy of continuous improvement
- AquaFund® water efficiencies meet the University’s requirements for environmental performance and water-related CO2 reductions
- AquaFund® conforms to environmental legislation and could help the University with its Environmental Management System for ISO 14001
Humanitarian benefits:
- A percentage of AquaFund’s® revenue is donated to WaterAid, helping the University to meet its social responsibilities
- AquaFund® delivers on the values which are important to the University of Portsmouth – financial savings, efficiency savings, a sustainable water supply and global environmental fairness – and was best placed to help the University achieve its objectives
Solutions
As part of its transformation to a leaner water-consuming organisation, a number of steps were taken by ADSM to deliver a sustainable approach to water management for the University – incorporating some quick hits for the elimination of waste following the ‘Lean thinking in universities’ approach.
Water audit
AquaFund® conducted a water audit of all water consuming assets at the University and investigated for potential water leaks and repaired those detected.
Following the water audit, appropriate water efficiency technologies were installed in all of the washrooms, shower and toilet facilities across the entire University estate.
Water saving devices
A programme of water ‘hippos’ in cisterns and occupancy sensors in toilets all result in reduced water use.
All water meters were integrated with the automatic water monitoring and targeting system to enable accurate and detailed reporting on consumption for every site on a regular basis.
The water usage data collected is interpreted on a regular basis to look for anomalies and to enable early detection of unexpected increases and potential leaks.
Baseline consumption
With measurements in place, the average water consumption was determined to be 160,000 cubic meters per annum.
Actual consumption data was analysed allowing a baseline to be set against which reductions in consumption could be measured over a three year period.
Be a water miser
An internal programme was also introduced – the ‘Be a water miser’ campaign – to get students and staff to think about how much water they were using and to report dripping taps and continually running toilets.
Performance and results
In partnership with the AquaFund® Scheme the University is making significant water savings.
AquaFund® continually monitors water consumption – and reports and deals with suspected leaks if consumption unexpectedly increases.
Target for the University is to use 15% less water by 2011.
Lessons learnt
There are many ways to save water and to meet environmental targets without having to compromise on facilities or amenities.
Ian McCormack, the Energy and Environmental Manager for the Estates at Portsmouth University has completely embraced the AquaFund® scheme and is pleased to be reaping the rewards. The University is also well on its way to meeting the water conservation objectives of its Environmental and Sustainable Development Plan.
“The University of Portsmouth is committed to promoting environmental responsibility and efficient use of natural resources to minimise our carbon footprint. Water conservation is a key objective within the University’s Environmental and Sustainable Development Plan.
The AquaFund® Scheme has provided us with the funds and resources to manage our water consumption more efficiently. We are well on our way to meeting our target for reductions.”
Ian McCormack, Energy and Environmental Manager, Estates
20%
