Saving water goes beyond conserving our precious resource and lower water bills – it also saves in the energy used to bring drinking quality water to homes across Australia and in turn, reduces greenhouse gas emissions. “Research has shown that embedded in the cost of water is the cost of energy used to collect, treat and distribute that water,” says the CEO of Smart Approved WaterMark, Mr Julian Gray. “In National Water Week , reducing greenhouse gas emissions gives us another good reason to save water around the home. “The energy costs of getting drinking water to the home are often not considered, so as part of our ‘Every Bucket Counts’ campaign we are launching a new measure to show the greenhouse gas emission savings made when saving water around the home,” says Mr Gray. Black balloons used to represent 50 grams of greenhouse gas emission savings are being used to represent the savings. They have become the symbol of energy saving programs in Victoria and now in New South Wales. “People are surprised to hear that to get around four buckets of drinking quality water to Australian homes requires energy inputs that create enough greenhouse gases to fill one black balloon,” says Mr. Gray. The Every Bucket Counts calculators are online at www.smartwatermark.org and calculate the water saving achieved by installing a rainwater tank, using a pool cover on a swimming pool or using a waterless car wash. Now they will also show how many ‘black balloons’ or grams of greenhouse gases are saved because of the energy saving with less water use. The energy costs of collecting, treating and transporting water vary across states so postcode inputs for the calculators will provide more appropriate figures for residents in each state and territory. Horticulturalist and presenter on Domestic Blitz, Joel Hurrey, endorses the water saving calculator’s new greenhouse emission addition. “I know how important water wise gardens are for water conservation, but when you look at the calculators, it’s surprising how much energy is also used getting that water to your home and garden. This calculator addition is invaluable in educating us just how much energy it takes to get water to our homes and gardens." On average people across Australia use around 23 buckets of drinking quality water each per day**, some of which can be saved by simple lifestyle changes and by using water saving products around the home. Saving over a quarter of a million buckets of water has been pledged so far by Australians using the Every Bucket Counts calculators on the Smart WaterMark website. “Every bucket counts when it comes to saving water and we want people to realise that saving water also gives you the power to save energy as well,” added Mr Gray. Also on the web site www.smartwatermark.org is a listing of the products and services with the Smart WaterMark, where to find them and any rebates offered, and other useful water saving information. For Smart Approved WaterMark images, click here. *We've assumed a bucket holds nine litres of water, a balloon holds 50g of greenhouse gas and the energy figure to generate that gas is averaged across Australian households.**Figures on domestic water use are taken from The Major Urban Water Utilities' National Performance Report 2006-07. The national average is 23 buckets per person per day.
|
