News

Within just 12 months of entering the Aquafund scheme, Myerscough College in Preston have made a significant water savings. The EAUC (The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges) said "This case study provides an excellent example of how an institution can make significant water and financial savings by taking up available initiatives".

link to full case study

http://www.eauc.org.uk

Driving Standards Agency has implemented Aquafund the scheme that will deliver a 50 percent cash saving for the organization without the need for any budget.

ADSM manage the multi million pound Aquafund scheme which is available to UK Public and Private sector organizations to reduce water consumption.

University of Portsmouth has put water saving efficiency firmly on its curriculum.

It is expected to save between 25% and 30% on its water bills after signing up to AquaFund. Ian McCormack, Energy and Environment Manager at the University said: "The benefits of AquaFund are self-evident. There is minimal input from the University, no reduction in water services, just water savings delivered month on month. Detailed reporting enables us to track and quantify the ongoing water efficiencies.

In the past 12 months, AquaFund has enabled almost 25,000 people in Ethiopia to gain access to safe and sustainable water supplies and effective sanitation.

In 2007 ADSM signed a 'first of its kind' agreement that contributes money raised from its AquaFund water contract to WaterAid.

The initiative raises funds for international water projects by working with UK organisations to use less water - when AquaFund customers use less water, international communities gain access to more drinkable water. 

"AquaFund was established to maximise water savings within the business sector, explained Patrick McCart, Director at ADSM." Every organisation wants to use less water but funding constraints have often limited savings in the past. By establishing AquaFund, we have removed this barrier, with the financial savings shared between the Fund and the customer.  

"We donate a percentage of the AquaFund Scheme revenue to WaterAid and this year we have been supporting their Achefer Woreda project in Ethiopia. I am very pleased that AquaFund has helped our clients here in the UK to reduce water consumption and at the same time enabled many communities in Ethiopia to gain access to safe water and sanitation - a basic human right.  It is extremely rewarding to know that we are helping to educate the people of Achefer Woreda about hygiene and really changing their lives by giving them a reliable, clean and sustainable water supply"

Read more about the Achefer Woreda success story

July 2008

CITY OF WESTMINSTER MAKES FURTHER WATER EFFICIENCIES WITH AQUAFUND

Westminster City Council has signed up for AquaFund, to enable further efficiencies in water usage and to save the Council money on their water bills.

AquaFund, ADSM's multi-million pound scheme, provides the cash, the resources and the expertise to drive down public sector water costs, via an Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions' framework. The fund not only pays for the water saving equipment required to save water but also the regular monitoring services that identify further potential savings over time.

As part of their Go-Green policy, Westminster City Council has already introduced voluntary water saving measures by eliminating the watering of parks and gardens and minimising street flushing whilst utilising more water-efficient equipment.

Via AquaFund, Westminster City Council has now turned its attention to water efficiency for its council buildings.

Westminster City Council's Corporate Energy Manager, David Haygarth, said: "The AquaFund scheme presented the City Council with an excellent opportunity to reduce water costs through the use of water saving equipment and bureau services.

"Because the surveys, installations and maintenance are resourced by ADSM, the council’s commitment is minimised to contract monitoring, and verifying and tracking the savings made through their monthly reporting system.

According to Patrick McCart, Director at ADSM, AquaFund was established to maximise savings within the Public Sector without the need for additional tax-payers' money. He explained that “everyone wants the public sector to use less water but funding constraints have limited savings in the past. By establishing AquaFund, we have removed this barrier, with financial savings shared between the fund and the public sector". Organisations ranging from Fire Departments to Local Authorities have utilised the Fund and are now benefiting from the cashable savings.

For more information on AquaFund, click here

June 2008

HUNDREDS OF ORGANISATIONS ARE BENEFITTING FROM AQUAFUND - THE MULTI-MILLION FUND TO ENABLE YOUR ORGANISATION TO MAKE FINANCIAL AND WATER SAVINGS

Our AquaFund Scheme provides the cash, the resources and the expertise to drive down your water costs. With a 50% guaranteed cashable saving, organisations from local authorities to healthcare trusts to universities to central government agencies have signed up for AquaFund to make financial and water savings.

In the first half of 2008, our clients have saved thousands of £ and thousands of m3 of water

Click here to find out how your organisation can benefit

May 2008

THE WESTERN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE TRUST TAPS IN TO AQUAFUND

The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) in Northern Ireland, headquartered in Londonderry, has signed up with ADSM’s AquaFund scheme, expecting to save the Trust up to 30% on their water bills year-on-year.

The water saving scheme will encompass all 137 sites including the Trust's hospitals; health centres; day centres; family centres, children's homes; clinics; residential homes; nursing units; adult training centres; offices and other Trust buildings.

Seamus Gormley from the Western Trust’s Estate Management Service, said: "AquaFund is very easy to access, requires almost no input from the Trust, and will deliver immediate and quantifiable water savings without any affect on our service provision. The cashable savings and water efficiencies help us to meet government targets for efficiency and sustainability. It’s certainly a timely and highly beneficial scheme with the impending water charge increases in Northern Ireland."

February 2008

AQUAFUND SAVES WATER FOR THE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) will be using less water in future - but without affecting the service they provide or putting any of the 800,000 residents' lives at increased risk.

The service has tapped in to ADSM's £500m AquaFund Scheme to enable water efficiencies across its 20 fire stations in the county, together with its Headquarters, mobilisation centre and training centre at Reading.

Ms Pat Arthur, Procurement and Facilities Manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "ADSM's AquaFund is helping us to save tax payers' money, whilst making us more eco-friendly. By conserving water we are also falling in line with the government's plans to make fire stations more sustainable."

By implementing ADSM's recommended water efficiencies and by installing their state-of-the-art water saving measures, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service expect to save close to 30% of their water costs year on year.

October 2007

TOP TIPS FOR SAVING WATER IN THE WORKPLACE

Energy Efficiency Week

22 - 26 October 2007

Minor adjustments to energy and water usage can make significant changes to efficiency - saving your organisation money and reducing C02 emissions.

ADSM's Top Tips for Saving Water during Energy Efficiency Week :

* Fit water saving devices to water consuming assets

* Monitor for water leakage - and repair leaks promptly

* Use a managed bureau for bill validation and water consumption monitoring and reporting

* Harvest rainwater and use for toilet flushing

* Utilise grey water for non-contact use, such as toilet flushing or washing machines

* Drill a borehole, if feasible, for a sustainable water supply

Benchmark your energy and water usage against national benchmarks by taking our water, electricity and gas 'Health Checks' and understand which of your sites is over-consuming.

Click on the health check icons on the right.

October 2007

WATER SAVINGS FOR DEVON COUNCIL

Teignbridge District Council in South Devon has signed ADSM to manage its water consumption and help it meet government efficiency and sustainability targets.

Rob Willcocks, Shared Services and Procurement Manager at Teignbridge Council said "ADSM will take care of the entire estate for Teignbridge, looking at our water consumption across the board and introducing high-tech water saving measures. This will include all our offices, leisure centres and numerous public toilets. We expect to make cashable savings straight away".

September 2007

LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON SAVES AND SAVES

Saving money from the public purse has to be a priority for any local authority, and the London Borough of Merton is no exception.

They expect to be saving lots of water as well as cash over the next three years, having signed up with ADSM for a Water Services Agreement. 

Projected to reduce their water consumption by up to 30% across their Council buildings, including Merton’s Civic Centre, community centres, day centres and offices throughout the Borough, David Bell, Merton’s Energy Manager is looking forward to receiving his reduced water bills.

 “It is so easy”, he said, “ADSM take care of everything.  The audits, the installation and maintenance of the water saving measures, and the best part is that I don’t have to give them any up-front investment for these services. Every Council should sign up” 

Delegates from around the world have converged on Stockholm for this year’s World Water Week. Hot topics include:

…and much more. See the website for more details.

A cross-party committee of MPs and peers has called for the government to set even more ambitious targets for the reduction of carbon emissions than the 60% reduction on 1990 levels currently planned for the year 2050.

The committee expressed concern that much of the UK’s apparent reduction in emissions would be bought from Third World countries in the form of carbon credits and urged that more be done here.

At ADSM, we’re already helping forward-thinking public sector organisations and private businesses to slash their carbon emissions. To see where your organisation stands, apply for a free health check of your water, gas and electricity consumption using the buttons on the right ->

• Read the report here

As the British summer finally arrives and we start to take stock, it’s easy to become cynical about the need for water conservation in the wake of July’s floods. However, it is business as usual at ADSM, as Patrick McCart, ADSM Director, explains:

“Bewl Water reservoir in Kent is 83% full, which isn’t unusual for this time of year, but shows that even the kind of sustained rainfall we have had over the last for weeks is not enough to fill our aquifers and reservoirs.”

“Purifying water and delivering it to businesses and homes requires large amounts of energy. By reducing our consumption, we can have a significant impact on the emission of harmful greenhouse gases and at the same time, provide better value to our clients and shareholders.”

Many of ADSM’s customers make use of rainwater and recycled grey water and whilst this is not suitable for drinking, it provided much-needed supplies for washing and flushing WCs. “Being able to cope in an emergency is not always the first thing our customers think of but is, nonetheless, another important benefit of implementing a strategy for water management,” says Patrick.

Wokingham, 20th July
Our office manager, Debbie, had to stay with friends, whilst her husband hitched a ride on a boat to rescue the family dog.

• ADSM and WaterAid
• WaterAid and World Water Day