Water

Water is most expensive when heated

Up to 30% of the annual costs of a house’s annual heating energy costs are spent on heating water. In addition, obtaining untreated water, its purification and pumping plus the treatment of wastewater demand much energy. The water charge is the total cost entailed by using clean water and producing wastewater.

Paying attention to your water consumption

Heating household water consumes 800-1,200 kW per occupant a year. This is 20% of each person’s individual home energy consumption.

But the amount of water used varies greatly. Some people use on average 90l a day. Others use three times that amount. Sensible use routines and a properly regulated domestic water system will help reduce water consumption by tens of percentage points.

• Don’t waste
  
  • Take a shower instead of a bath and don’t run the taps needlessly.
  • Even rinsing the washing up by hand in a two-person household can consume six times as much water compared to rinsing by a dishwasher.
• Do the washing economically
  
  • Wash using full machines and use the different economy and short cycle programmes.
  • Use a 40°C or lower washing temperature, if the washing instructions for your clothes permit.
• Get up-to-date appliances and water fittings
  
  • New dishwashers and washing machines consume just half the water of devices that are 15 years old.
  • New WCs consume less than half the water of old ones
  • Replace double taps with single flow taps.
• Get the right flow
  
  • 12l per minute is sufficient for showers, 6l per minute for hand basins.
• Put a stop to leaks
  
  • Fix a leaky tap or WC immediately

Separate water meters for houses and flats reduce consumption

In case of renovations to buildings or the water supply it is worth finding out whether individual water meters can be fitted for dwellings at reasonable cost. Research shows that they can help reduce water consumption by 15-20% per occupant.

Did you know?

• Heated household water has to be at least +55°C for bacteria and other health hazards to be eliminated, and at most +65°C in hot water fittings intended for personal hygiene.
• A continually running WC can lead to extra costs of many thousands of Euros.