Water consumption benchmarks for businesses and hotels

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the EU’s environmental funding stream LIFE this month, the Malta Business Bureau’s EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project today announced Malta’s most detailed water consumption benchmarks for businesses and hotels to be published to date and the first national recommended standard flow rates for water facilities.

The benchmarks and standards are published in a paper titled ‘Water Consumption Benchmarks – a step towards reduced consumption.’ The paper reveals that 3 star hotels use 199 litres, 4 star hotels use 292 litres, and 5 star hotels use 462 litres per guest night. Offices consume 25 litres of water per employee per day, manufacturing enterprises 24, and manufacturing enterprises where a number of employees also shower use 46 litres per employee per day.

“Businesses and hotels can use these benchmarks to identify higher than usual consumption and guide their decision to start saving water,” stated Geoffrey Saliba, the Malta Business Bureau’s EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project Manager.

He contunued, “It seems fitting that while the EU is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the LIFE programme, a LIFE project gives something tangible to the community – the benchmarks are our contribution and celebration of 20 years successful environmental funding.

“These are the most detailed set of water consumption benchmarks for hotels and businesses published in Malta to date. They are based on in-depth water audits carried out amongst 38 businesses and hotels earlier this year. Apart from revealing current consumption patterns the audits also revealed areas where a decrease in consumption can be achieved.”

The paper shows that service water – that used in toilets, showers and wash hand basins, accounts for between 38% and 86% of hotels total water consumption and between 5% and 98% of a business’ consumption. However, although comprising a significant percentage of an enterprises’ consumption, no standards exist in these facilities. As a result, flow rates in showers vary from 4 to an excessive 12 litres per minute, while flushing cisterns vary in size from 6 to 15 litres.

The EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project’s paper publishes recommended standards flow rates of 7 litres per minute for shower flows, 5 litres per minute for wash hand basin flows, and a toilet flushing cistern volume of 6 litres.

“The benchmarks help enterprises identify excessive consumption and act to correct it. By going a step further and adopting the recommended standard flow rates and flushing cistern volumes, many enterprises could easily save 10% or more, of their current water consumption.” concluded Ing. Marco Cremona, Water Expert to the EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project.

The EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project paper ‘Water Consumption Benchmarks – a step to saving water’, may be downloaded from www.investinginwater.org ^[1].

Over the course of this year and next the EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project will help businesses and hotels reduce their water consumption by identifying water saving solutions. The project is also monitoring water consumption, and following its close in 2014 aims to publish updated benchmarks for water wise businesses and hotels.

The EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project receives 50% co-financing under the European Community’s LIFE funding programme, with the Ministry for Tourism, the Environment and Culture as the main co-financier, further co-financing and sponsorship from Easydry Malta, APS Bank, Island Hotels Group, and MSV LIFE.

Photograph: Shower Standards by Stephen Depolo.