As we enter a new decade (technically, it doesn’t actually start until 2021 as 2020 is the last year of the 2011-2020 decade – but we won’t split hairs), the UK water industry is undergoing quite a sea change, with some ambitious targets now in its sights.
Many of these targets are linked to the sector’s role in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. You might be surprised to learn that the UK water industry currently produces 5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. This is largely due to the exorbitant amount of energy that is required for processes such as abstraction, conveyance and treatment of fresh water and wastewater. Not surprisingly, this is now a real cause for concern.

To turn the tide, the water industry has set a 2030 Net-Zero goal. Their plans include the planting of 11 million trees across the country before this current decade is out.

Meanwhile, Water UK, the organisation that represents and works alongside our major water and wastewater providers, has just launched ‘A Manifesto forhttps://www.water.org.uk/ Water’. The Manifesto outlines the plans which the major water companies have in place over the next five years, designed to improve overall customer experience throughout England.

Between 2020 and 2025, water companies have earmarked £50 billion for improving services – that’s a 13% increase on what they spent over the last five years.

The Manifesto includes a major investment programme to upgrade services, including a significant reduction in leaks. In the last year alone, there were more than 54,000 mains pipe bursts in the UK and the industry’s aim is to achieve a 36% decrease in supply interruption times.

They also propose a reduction in domestic bills, on average, by over 4% in real terms, across England as a whole.

Environmental Protection is a Welcome Priority
In addition, the industry has pledged increased environmental support, scheduling cleaning and improvements to 5000 miles of rivers across the country. At SJ Water Softeners, we welcome these plans for more robust environmental protection. It is heartening to hear that the water industry is committed to reducing river pollution, continuing to build on improvements made in recent decades, which have seen wildlife return to rivers that had been biologically redundant since the time of the Industrial Revolution. Let’s see more of this.

Anything that can improve the quality of service to the consumer also has to be encouraged. We are especially pleased to hear that the water companies are prioritising the fixing of leaks over the next five years. They say they intend to cut them by 16% over this period, the highest leakage repair programme for over 20 years.

If they manage to hit their targets, this will save the equivalent of 184 Olympic-size swimming pools of water every day by 2025.

Meanwhile, whilst the UK water industry is looking to make savings by reducing waste, the water softener market continues to surge forward. According to the Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2018-2025, produced by Allied Market Research, the worldwide water softener business will have grown from $2bn in 2017 to around $3.5bn by 2025. This is growth that’s driven primarily by increased water consumption and a huge demand for safe and clean drinking water, as well as consumer aversion to hard water.

If you have yet to become part of the water softening revolution, as 2020 opens its doors, we hope that you, too, will join this healthy statistic. From

SJ Water Softeners, may we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Get in touch here or phone us on 012436074940 and start your journey to Soft Water with SJ Water Softeners, today!