Waterwise

Checkmark

for Offices

April 2019

We are facing greater pressure on water resources in the UK due to climate change,

population growth and the need to protect the environment. A report by the National

Infrastructure Commission set out a 1 in 4 chance over the next 30 years that large

numbers of households and businesses will have water supplies cut off for an

extended period of time. It estimated the economic impact of severe restrictions in

England at between £25 and £40 billion.

Waterwise is an independent, not-for-profit organisation with the vision that water will

be used wisely, every day, everywhere. We developed the Water Checkmark to

improve water use by products, appliances and in a range of business settings.

Offices are a key area where we can reduce water use. On average water savings

from simple water efficiency measures could be between 30% and 67% (based on

Thames Water Smarter Business Visit Programme).

Attaining the Checkmark for your office can help can help you demonstrate to staff,

stakeholders and customers your sustainability credentials.

Introduction

This document has been produced to help building owners, facility managers, building engineers and designers to meet the Waterwise Checkmark requirements.

Checkmark application process

Where is water used in the office?

Benchmarking water use

Reducing your water use

Completing your application

Application Checklist

What is in this guide?

Download the forms from waterwise.org.uk

Use guidance and checklist to meet Checkmark standard

Submit forms to Waterwise

Independent review and assessment

Award Decision

You can use this guidance to support you in completing the Checkmark for Offices application

form, and take the opportunity to improve your water efficiency along the way.

We will need evidence of your water using activities to be provided alongside the application, so

as you go through the guide think about taking photos, downloading data or jotting down

information about your site to make the application really stand out.

Checkmark application process

Water use is influenced by fittings such

as taps and toilets, but also the actions

of office users - both are important.

Actions Matter!

Toilet Flushing

Hand Washing

Cleaning

Urinals

Showers

Canteens and

kitchens

Where is water used in the office?

“You can‟t manage what you can‟t measure” is really important when considering water

efficiency. Access to billing or metering data can help you identify how efficient your office is and

regular meter reads can also help to identify any signs of leaks, or unexpected usage.

You can find out information about your meter reads, and therefore your water use, from:

Your water bills from your water retailer.

Reading your water meter.

Accessing any water monitoring system provided by a building management or water

management company that might be in place.

You will ideally want to collate water use information over at least one year to understand any

trends in consumption. The more frequent your meter reads, the more you can understand about

patterns in consumption, such as how variable consumption is if the number of people in your

office varies a lot.

When you apply for the Checkmark you will need to provide us with evidence that you monitor

and understand the water use at your office—for instance you could provide us with screenshots

of monitoring or copies of your water bills.

Benchmarking water use

FLOOR SPACE

If you have a highly variable number of staff in the

office, then you might find it useful to consider a floor

area factor for benchmarking. Simply divide your water

use, in m3 per year by the net lettable floor area of

your office in m2.

OCCUPANTS

If staff numbers are quite stable, or you have relatively

few occupants for the size of space then you will

probably find it useful to benchmark water use on a

per occupant basis. Simply divide water use, in m3 per

day (you can assume 253 days in a year unless you

know differently) by the number of people occupying

the office on a normal day.

If your calculated consumption is

higher than around 0.55m3 per m2

per year then it is highly likely you

could save water

If your calculated consumption is

lower than around 0.55m3 per m2

it’s a great start, but you may still

be able to make savings If your calculated consumption is

higher than around 15 litres per

person per day then it is highly likely

you could save water

If your calculated consumption is

lower than around 15 litres per

person per day it’s a great start, but

you may still be able to make savings

Saving water in the office isn‟t all about refurbishment and new

fittings. Whilst it is great to consider water efficiency when

bathroom and kitchen facilities are refreshed, there are low and

no cost actions that can be taken at any time to save water.

The way we use fixtures and fittings can be as important as

the fitting itself and so we encourage signage, tips and

reminders for office users so that making water-saving

decisions is at the forefronts of their minds every time they

use a tap, or flush the toilet. We have provided hints and tips for suggestions that you can put on

posters and stickers over the next few pages.

Of course, retrofitting or replacing older high water use fixtures and fittings will also help to reduce

water use and we have included details of the performance of some of today‟s most efficient

products as well as information on retrofitting activities that can save a lot of water with every use.

Finally, one of the biggest sources of wasted water in offices are dripping taps, leaky loos and a

lack of maintenance. Ensuring that office users can readily report problems and that these are

dealt with quickly and efficiently is important for a successful Checkmark application.

The more participation you achieve from

office users, the more water you will save!

Reducing your water use

Between 5 and 8% of all toilets are thought to be

leaking and it could be invisible to the eye.

Each leaking toilet could be wasting as much

water as a needed to supply a whole household

each day—up to 400 litres!

Did you know?

Toilets are considered water efficient if they:

Are low flush volume (4.5 litres) single

flush

Are dual flush (6/4 litres or better)

Are older and retrofitted with a cistern

displacement device such as a hippo or

„save-a-flush‟.

Actions you can take in the office include:

Checking the flush volumes of your

toilets and retrofitting dual flush

mechanisms or cistern displacement

devices.

Ensuring flush buttons are labelled.

Posters and signs to remind users not

to dispose of anything other than pee,

poo and paper down the toilet.

Routinely check toilets for signs of

leakage using an over-night test with a

piece of toilet paper.

You may also wish to consider if your toilets

could be flushed with rainwater from your

roof if you are considering major

refurbishment.

Toilets

Urinals

Urinals are considered to be water efficient if they

are controlled via a mechanism that ensures they

only flush when the building is occupied.

The most basic form of this is to have a timer that is

set to match office occupancy hours—although this

can mean that flushing occurs during weekends

when the building might not be used.

Intelligent urinal controls include infra-red sensors

that flush when a person is detected.

You will also want to check that the volume of water

being flushed is not too high—the fill should be at a

rate not exceeding 10 litres per hour for a single

urinal.

Waterless urinals are also available that use a

variety of systems to prevent blockages and odours.

Urinals only need to flush when the

offices are in use—clever flushing control

is key to efficient water use.

Control is vital

USER CONTROL AND FLOW

Taps can be considered efficient based on both the

flow rate they deliver, and also the manner in which

they are controlled. A very low flow basin tap that can

be left running will still waste a lot of water!

User controls that help to restrict the run time include:

Percussion (push top) taps

Infra red sensor taps

Ask users about the run time—do they find it too short

or too long and re-calibrate as necessary.

THE CONSTANT DRIP

Drippy taps can add up to a lot of wasted water, so its

very important that they are identified and repaired

quickly. Putting signs up to encourage users to report

any signs of dripping, and then fix them quickly!

Drips can often be fixed by replacing washers or

ceramic cartridges depending on the type of tap.

Intelligent taps can drip or malfunction as well. If water

gets on a sensor it can cause the tap to run

continuously. Again, encourage users to report

problems or alert users to simple fixes.

Basin Taps

Basin taps and flow regulators are available that have

flows as low as 1.7 litres per minute. For hand washing

very low flows are appropriate, but if basin filling is

required then consider a slightly higher flow rate.

Basin taps can also be fitted with aerating technology

that results in the feel of a higher flow to users.

Showers

Providing showering facilities for staff is increasingly popular. It is important to make sure as more

people use such facilities that they have low flow rates whilst still providing a good shower

experience, and that short showers are encouraged.

Actions you can take in the office include:

Provide shower timers and put up posters

encouraging short showers.

Make sure pipe work is lagged to reduce the

length of time before the shower warms up.

Test the shower flow rate and see if your

shower is suitable for retrofit with a more

efficient shower head or flow regulator.

If in a hard water area, regularly descale

shower heads to ensure good performance.

If installing new showers, consider some of

the latest technologies that exist for saving

water and energy use.

Showers are typically considered efficient if they

have a flow rate less than 8 litres per minute.

It is not recommended to change the shower head

on an electric shower, but most other types can

successfully be retrofitted to reduce flows.

Did you know?

Rinsing cups and spoons under a running tap is one

of the least efficient ways to wash crockery. Try

encouraging teams to wash mugs together in a bowl

of water—water saving and team building!

DISHWASHERS

Using a dishwasher uses less water and less energy

than washing up by hand. Put up posters and signs

making sure it is full before being put on, and look at the

water use specification when investing in a new

appliance—details are found on the energy label.

Kitchens

WASHING UP BY HAND

Many offices contain plants to provide a healthy

working environment, and others may have grounds

that require landscaping and maintenance.

If possible, simple rainwater collection should be used

to provide water for plant watering. It may be possible

to connect guttering to a water butt, or larger rainwater

collection vessel,

Landscaping should be carried out sympathetically to

the climate conditions on site—using drought resistant

planting if needed and minimizing the need for

watering.

If you are considering a major refurbishment it may be

possible to retrofit rainwater harvesting systems that will

allow you to store and use water more widely.

Plants and Landscaping

Many plants will enjoy being watered

with rainwater rather than tap water as it

is the correct pH and contains no

groundwater minerals.

Rainwater

Regularly descaling taps and showers can help to

ensure continued good performance and reduce

the likelihood of drips occurring.

Did you know?

Issues with dripping taps, leaking loos or leaks

on pipework are wastes of water and need to be

identified and fixed rapidly.

Ensure you have a system in place and person

responsible for maintenance within and around

the office, and know who can be contacted—

plumbers, building owners and water retailers—

should an emergency arise.

You can save energy as well as water by

lagging hot water pipes to taps and showers.

Actions you can take in the office include:

Having posters and signs up to make

sure people know who, or where, to

report any maintenance issues.

Routinely inspecting water using

fixtures and fittings, particularly less-

well trafficked areas.

Monitoring water use on site for signs

of leaks breaking out.

Running campaigns or activities to

engage users in the water use and

maintenance of their office building.

You could also publicise water savings or

actions taken as a result of maintenance

activities to encourage more, or faster

reporting of problems.

Building maintenance and leaks

Completing your application

We hope this guide has been useful in helping to identify what a water efficient office might look

like. As you go through your application consider the ideas presented in the guide and provide us

with evidence of the steps that your office is taking.

We welcome photos, copies of posters, monitoring, action plans or even videos if it helps to

demonstrate that water efficiency is important to the office and

users of it.

Please provide as much information as possible so that our

assessors can determine whether or not your office meets the

requirements of the Checkmark for Offices. We don‟t expect all

offices to have everything outlined in place and we do

understand that sometimes the infrastructure or design of a

building can make some actions difficult.

You should read the scheme terms and conditions when you

complete the application form, and submit the completed form

along to info@waterwise.org.uk. Evidence of your payment for

the scheme will be needed before the application is assessed.

What happens next?

Your application will be logged into our

system and assigned within 5 days to

one of our assessors.

Your application will be reviewed and all

evidence you have provided considered.

The assessor will decide whether the

office can be awarded the Checkmark.

If you are successful, the assessor will provide feedback to the

scheme manager including a clear statement of why the application

meets the criteria, or an aspect that was particularly impressive

that can be used in marketing materials and promotion.

We will provide you with a certificate for display in your office and

the logo along with guidelines on its use. We will also request a

statement from you for use in promotional materials as we are

keen to publicise successful applicants and celebrate water saving

achievements with you.

Independent review and assessment

Award Decision

Application Checklist

Before you submit your application, use this checklist to remind you of the types of activities that

you should tell us about, and finally… good luck!

Metered water use and regular monitoring, smart

meters and leak alarms

Dual flush toilets, cistern displacement devices,

urinal controls

Aerated or low flow taps and tap controls

Water efficient showers

Dishwashers

Rainwater collection and use

PHYSICAL

Posters and notices encouraging water saving

in and around the office

Competitions you‟ve held to promote water

saving

Wider water saving tips you promote

Shower timers, washing up bowls and other

devices to help people take water saving actions

Maintenance logs and ease of reporting drips

and leaks that are spotted

BEHAVIOUR

Your notes, thoughts and ideas

For more water efficiency tips and information

please visit www.waterwise.org.uk

Phone: 020 79172826

E-mail:info@waterwise.org.uk

180 Piccadilly

London

United Kingdom

W1J 9HF