Our water use double what we think it is
Most people use twice the amount of water they believe they do.
A survey commissioned by Irish Water shows that 56% of 1,000 adults surveyed last month underestimated their average daily personal water-usage by half.
Irish Water is continuing to urge people to conserve water. Its hose-pipe ban continues until the end of August.
And it has warned that despite recent rain, it may take several weeks, or even months, to replenish raw water levels in rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources.
Figures from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities show that the average person uses 129 litres of water a day.
However, 56% believe that the average person uses less than 50 litres of water per day.
The responses also show that one in five of those surveyed believe they use between 51 and 100 litres; 14% estimate that it’s between 101 and 200 litres, and just one in 10 believe it is more than 200 litres.
The research, which was conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes between July 11 and 19, also found that 65% of those surveyed are making a concerted effort to change their behaviour to conserve water.
Just 40% said they were using containers to catch and retain water for reuse in the garden; 65% have reduced watering or are not watering their garden at all, and 60% have had fewer or no car washes during the “drought”.
Irish Water’s corporate affairs manager, Kate Gannon, said that while conserving water is new for many people, it is important.
“The recent period of drought has shown that the demand on Ireland’s water supply can impact homes and businesses across the country,” said Ms Gannon.
“Irish Water wants to support people in their choices around their water use, beginning by showing people how much they actually use.
The fact that 65% of people have started to make a concerted effort to conserve water, since the beginning of the drought, is really encouraging, but to see real and positive effects, we hope to see long-term and permanent changes to the way we all use water.
She said most of those surveyed said all the talk, in recent weeks, about water usage has made them think and act differently around their water habits and conservation.
“Our main priority is to safeguard our water for the future and ensure that we do all we can to minimise the risk of widespread outages and interruptions to supply into the future,” Ms Gannon said.
“We are doing what we can, by ramping up leakage repair, taking operational interventions, and supporting and educating customers. However, given the size and scale of the challenge that faces us, it is vital that the public continue to play a role in conservation.”
Irish Water has outlined a number of water-saving suggestions, including opting for a shower rather than a bath.
Cutting a minute off your shower time could save 10 litres of water and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth could save up to six litres of water per minute.
