Londoners could save the £60 million poured down the drain every year by cutting shower times by just one minute.
If each of London’s 8.6 million residents spent only 60 seconds less in the shower every day, they could reduce their water use by nearly 3,000 litres per year, figures revealed.
This equates to a staggering 25 billion litres of water – enough to fill 10,000 Olympic swimming pools – and means an average family of four could save up to £180 on annual bills.
Andrew Tucker, water efficiency manager at Thames Water, said: “I can’t think of an easier way for people to save water, energy and money.”
Reducing water consumption not only contributes to keeping our household finances afloat, but would also boost the city’s environment.
It may seem like we get enough rain to flood China, but London and the south east is classed as ‘seriously water stressed’ by the Environment Agency.
This means all the available places to take water from the environment in the region are already in use.
The capital actually gets less rainfall than Istanbul and only half as much as Sydney.
“It is really important that people understand that using less water in the home is a double win for them and the environment, as they also use less energy,” said Mr Tucker.
Energy used to heat water accounts for around 15% of money flushed away in the average household’s annual energy bill.
London residents can order water-saving freebies and use an online calculator to see how much they can save at www.thameswater.co.uk/londonenergy
Picture courtesy of Fuschia Foot, with thanks
