Duration: March 2025

Background

Groundwork have been commissioned by United Utilities to survey Schools, leisure centres and community buildings to check whether they were using more water than they needed to and provide a helping hand if so.

Checking taps to improve water efficiency

What we’re doing

Groundwork Green Doctor’s visit the schools, and within a single day visit, and are able to identify where excess water is being lost.

The common water efficiency problems spotted by the Green Doctor’s include leaky taps, toilets, and faulty tank fill valves.

Once identified, the team fit water saving devices such as tap aerators, displacement bags in toilet cisterns, shower regulators, and urinal controls.

At the end of their visit, the Green Doctors produce a report, detailing the work carried out, quantities of water saved and any advice for ongoing management.

Only schools in specific localities are able to access this support. You will be contacted by United Utilities and/or the Groundwork team directly if this is the case.

Typical outcomes

When this programme was undertaken as a pilot project in 2022/23, all participating schools improved their water efficiency following a visit from Groundwork’s Green Doctors with estimated savings ranging from 33 ltrs to 77,331 ltrs per school per day.

Green Doctors visiting schools to improve water efficiency

By carrying out basic repairs and introducing a few simple measures such as save a flush devices and tap inserts, schools are saving both water and money which is good news for them and the environment

Alice Denholm, Water Efficiency Delivery Manager, United Utilities

Thanks to our funders

This work has been made possible thanks to funding from United Utilities