Substantial water savings for Nottinghamshire County Council
Just a few months into its new water saving contract Nottinghamshire County Council has already managed to deliver £150,000 of cash savings from its budget thanks to the expertise of the staff at the water saving company ADSM.
It’s likely that figure will grow to £350,000 by the end of the agreement in 2013 and many more savings could still be found.
Using the AquaFund® grant, ADSM’s consultant engineers surveyed all 762 of the Council’s sites. The sites ranged from the National Water Sports Centre to schools, leisure centres and even a food factory.
Hundreds of water meters had to be read, many of which were buried in the ground, covered in rubbish or even submerged in water! A detailed analysis was done on how each site consumed water and this was compared to the usage that Severn Trent Water was charging the Council for.
A number of water and cost saving measures were assessed ranging from rainwater harvesting systems to washroom controls.
ADSM’s tariff experts spent 500 hours processing 6,000 of the council’s water bills. Using sophisticated software the bills were fully audited against the water company’s charges and national benchmarks. The Council was given total visibility on all the costs and consumption.
Major savings were discovered, including a substantial amount for surface water drainage charges. These costs cover the water company’s transfer of rainwater to nearby streams, rivers and lakes.
Historical refunds and rebates totalling tens of thousands of pounds have also been obtained from Severn Trent Water.
ADSM Director, Patrick McCart, said “This substantial saving for the ratepayers of Nottinghamshire wouldn’t have been possible without our expert team and the partnership we’ve had from Nottinghamshire County Council. We’ve been very impressed with the commitment the Council has shown to saving water and it’s passion for sustainability. We’re really pleased that within months of our partnership we’ve already been able to deliver such a big sum.”
ADSM is anticipating finding even more savings over the coming weeks and months as the work at Nottinghamshire County Council continues.
