Residents In Dunkeld And Birnam Respond Enthusiastically To Water Campaign

It’s hardly surprising that many householders in Scotland haven’t given much thought to water efficiency. It rains a lot, so people assume there must be plenty of water.
However, when they learn that Scottish Water has access to less than 1% of this rainfall and that each person uses an average of 150 litres of water per day, twice as much as most people expect, they begin to see things differently.
Elaine Hutchison, from Scottish Water takes up the story, “When we also explain that lots of energy goes into pumping and treating water and that saving hot water could reduce their energy bills as well, householders start showing a real interest in things they can do to use water efficiently.”
That’s why Scottish Water and Home Energy Scotland are working with local organisations such as the Climate Café to encourage householders in Dunkeld and Birnam to use water wisely. “The local population collectively use about 79 million litres of water a year, all of which is taken from the river Tay, treated in Perth and then pumped to Dunkeld and Birnam” explained Elaine, “If each household makes small changes to reduce their water use by 5%, this could save around 3,900,000 litres of water per year and energy by pumping less.”
Over two days 112 free water saving packs were given out at Birnam Arts. As well as the detailed brochure, packs include various gadgets such as eco-showerheads, shower timers and toilet cistern devices, depending on the suitability for each home. As an example of the potential savings, a four-person family in an average gas heated house could save 43,800 litres of water and around £110 per year in reduced energy bills by installing an ecoshowerhead, taking one minute off each shower, fitting a toilet cistern device and using a universal plug.”
Perth & Kinross Council are supportive of the initiative, a number of local organisations have helped promote it and each pupil at the Royal School of Dunkeld has been given a brochure to take home.
“We were delighted by the enthusiastic response from the local community. Householders were clearly knowledgeable about a range of environmental issues and we appreciate their willingness to support our campaign,” commented Elaine. We look forward to working with local organisations to help make Dunkeld and Birnam water efficient alongside other environmental initiatives.”

Residents In Dunkeld And Birnam Respond Enthusiastically To Water Campaign

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