RHS and water partners join forces to understand and help reduce outdoor water use

RHS and water partners join forces to understand and help reduce outdoor water use - Royal Horticultural Society

Garden pond with tree reflections, yellow flowers, mossy stones, and stacked logs in spring sunlight. — (Image: Josh Kemp-Smith)

The RHS and industry partners will measure for the first time how much water is used for different outdoor purposes by households, paving the way for tailored advice on the most impactful activities.

The research responds to a predicted mains water deficit of 5 billion litres per day by 2055 if no action is taken. Existing research shows mains water use peaks in the summer months, in large part due to outdoor use, but the exact quantities and triggers remain unknown.

Funded by Ofwat’s Water Efficiency Fund through the Water Efficiency Lab, and including partners Artesia Consulting, Watergate, Weir The Agency and University College London, the study will work with volunteer householders across the country to quantify how much water is being used outdoors through the use of smart meters and flow measuring.

This insight, coupled with a detailed understanding of why people use mains water and the barriers that prevent switching to alternative water sources, will lead to the creation of a toolkit for water companies to deploy to drive reductions in mains water demand. This might take the form of responsive and regionally specific alerts and prompts as well as seeking to explain the importance of conserving mains water for essential use.

The full list of partners working on Helping homes save water outdoors, after a £1.1million award from the Water Efficiency Lab, are the RHS, Artesia Consulting, Weir The Agency, UCL, Watergate AI, Waterwise, Thames Water, Severn Trent Water, Southern Water, United Utilities and Affinity Water.