Insulation
Carpentry
Lime Mortar
Strawbale Building
Reclaimed Building Materials
Water Saving Devices
Architecture
Non-Toxic Paints
Ventilation
Draught Proofing
Electrical Systems

Gardens
Green Roofs
Rainwater Harvesting
Porous Parking

Water Saving Devices

Although we think of England and Wales as wet places, they are also very densely populated, and demand for water is high. So there is actually less water available per person here than in drier countries like Spain or Portugal.

The water that comes out of your tap is taken from natural stores of water underground (known as groundwater) or from rivers (often via reservoirs). There is enough water available for people and the environment under normal circumstances, but we must all be responsible in the way we use water. Taking too much from groundwater and rivers will harm the environment. Therefore we should only use the water we need, and not waste it.

During the past two decades the demand for water for our homes, industry and agriculture has been steadily increasing, resulting in recent water shortages in some parts of Britain.

Forecasts suggest that this upward trend will continue and this, together with the effects of global warming and the climatic uncertainties of the future, increase the need to conserve and carefully manage our water supplies.

What can be done to conserve water?
It is relatively easy to reduce demand for water in buildings substantially while maintaining modern hygiene standards.

The first step in water conservation comprises simple and probably familiar measures such as showering instead of bathing, turning off taps and maintaining taps and appliances.