The summer holidays have finally rolled around for schools – whilst that might mean an end to homework for the kids, for site managers and caretakers now is a great time to do your work. It’s time to shine! As you know, making repairs and performing maintenance work is ideal with nobody around – and the same goes for checking for leaks and upkeeping the waterworks.
That’s why we’ve compiled these quick and handy water tips especially for schools at summertime, to help you save water and save money.
Here’s a quick checklist of things to keep an eye out for:
Now’s a great time to use your water meter to monitor your site’s water usage and make sure your bills are reflecting the drop in water use over the holidays. Water bills can be higher if they’re based on estimates, so it’s worth taking a reading of your actual usage regularly. You can submit meter readings to us quickly and easily through your online MyAccount.
If automatic meter readings sent straight to an online portal sound good to you, why not check out our smart metering service.
Since the buildings are all but empty, you should expect to see extremely low water use – so if you’re seeing an unexpectedly high reading, or the reading suddenly jumps up, this is a good indication of a leak.
To use your water meter to check for leaks:
Now usage has slowed down, it’s a good time to consider whether your site is wasting water and to find ways to use it better. Becoming more water efficient will help to reduce bills, and is better for the environment too!
Here’s some simple tips to get you started:
Put up friendly reminders to turn off the taps after use.
Why not use a fun fact like: did you know that a running tap uses around 6 litres of water a minute? That’s equal to more than 18 cans of fizzy drink!
Install bathroom signs to make sure sanitary products are put in the bin.
This goes for anything else that isn’t flushable, too! Whilst we might know they can cause blockages and flooding in toilets, your pupils might not.
Encourage school staff to report any leaks.
A leaking toilet can waste up to 400 litres of water a day – that’s equivalent to 5 full bath tubs! Fast reporting and speedy leak repair will prevent a high water bill.
In staff rooms or kitchens, be water-wise with the dishwasher.
Simple steps like only running it with a full load and using an eco-setting can make a big difference.
Consider using washing-up water on grassed areas, instead of sprinklers.
Sprinklers can use as much water in 1 hour as a family of 4 uses in 1 day!
Despite your careful maintenance, water leaks do happen. It’s your school’s responsibility to manage leaks and the pipework within your property boundaries, so it’s a good idea to have a plan in place so you’ll know how to deal with one. Knowing where your stop taps are is a great first move, so you can switch off the water supply.
However, often leaks occur underground where they can’t be seen or are difficult to access. Our advanced water services team are here to help. With the latest leak identification equipment and expert repair services, they’re a handy number to know. Find out more about our leak detection and repair service here.