Hot or cold - we all win when using less water.
With the cost-of-living pressures, we’re here to help you cut down on energy use, which will save you money, and help the environment.
Water is a silent, but major user of electricity. You're probably aware that using more hot water means a higher energy bill so small adjustments like taking shorter showers or switching appliances to the ECO setting, could save you hundreds a year.
However, cold water comes at a price too. Collecting, cleaning, and pumping it to your homes and businesses requires electricity too – not just a few watts, but £28 million’s worth from 2022 to 2023 – £7.5 million more than the previous year.
Reducing water use overall means we can invest more into your network, and you’ll help trees, plants, crops, wildlife, livestock, fish, birds, and insects – indeed, all flora and fauna – to survive and thrive, as they depend on the same water as we do.
Cost of living
We could never keep a count of how many times we turn on the tap.
As soon as we get up, we turn on the tap – for showering, teeth cleaning, making the first of the day cuppa – and switch it on and off until bedtime.
That simple everyday action, often carried out without thinking, holds the key to you cutting down on your energy bills.
According to a study carried out for us at South East Water by the National Energy Action, almost half of us shower for a whopping seven minutes, on average, every day!
The Energy Saving Trust says that if each person shortened their shower time to four minutes, the typical household on a meter could save £135 a year on their energy and water bills. This could also save up to 52,000 litres of water a year, so there’s much more left behind for the environment too.
Can you shower in 4 minutes?
Shimmy to our Spotify playlist of songs 4 minutes or less to help you with the challenge!
Your appliances
All of these small switches or adjustments to your everyday practices could save you more than £190 a year (or £260 a year if you're on a meter!) across your energy and water bills.
Washing machines
Simply switching to a 30-degree and washing one less load a week could save you £24 a year. If you have an ECO cycle, using this could also save 48 litres of water, saving you money on water bills and energy used to heat less water.
Kettles and sinks
We can all be guilty of filling the kettle to the brim. Not only does that use more water than we need, but the energy used to heat a full kettle is a lot more than you'd think. Not over-filling and fitting a tap aerator to reduce the amount of water, could save £29 a year. Get a FREE aerator here.
Dishwashers
Dishwashers are our life savers, but they’re most efficient if we wait to run them when they’re full to the brim. This one simple swap reduces the water used, and just one less run a week could save you £12 a year.
Showers
Along with shortening your shower saving you £60 a year (or £135 if you're on a meter!), there are even more ways that a shower can save you, too. Swapping one bath for a 4-minute shower can save you an extra £9 on your energy and water bills. However, replacing your showerhead with a water-efficient one could additionally save you £60 a year in energy and water bills. But it's better to pay nothing…get a brand-new showerhead for FREE here.
Our route to net zero
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges and something we're committed to help stabilise it.
We have been working hard to cut our CO2 emissions, and have reduced our operational carbon by 38%, however, we have pledged to reach operational carbon net zero by 2030. This is an ambitious target and big commitment, but important to us to achieve.
The work behind achieving this target involves all of us working together. We're working with experts, stakeholders and our supply chain, but there are ways you can continue to help too.
Get water savvy
Knowledge is power, so get to know your usage, compare to neighbours, manage your bills and more with My Account.
There's so much you can do with an online account:
- Submit meter readings
- Add multiple properties
- Track your water use
- View and download bills
- Manage payments
- Control home moves
You can learn about how much water you use, and get hints and tips on how to use less and save money on your water and energy bills.
