Get Switched On! Power saver

Is water wastage eroding your profits? Geoffrey Gestetner explains how you can use technology to save costs - even in the smallest rooms.

Droughts have repercussions. Not only the current one in the South East but also the 1976 dry season, which brought home the realisation that the water supply in rainy Britain was limited. Until then, hygiene was thought more important than saving water so automatic flushing cisterns were installed in most men's urinals to prevent pungent odours developing. Pubs were a prime example of this trend, then as now.

After the 1976 drought our company pioneered what has since become an important industry sector devoted to conserving precious water resources. The first series of Cistermiser hydraulic valves saved around 80 per cent of the water otherwise wasted by uncontrolled automatic flushing cisterns.

As water meters became widespread the water and sewerage handling saved directly equated to costs savings - again of around 80 per cent. What too many pub operators have not realised is that automatic flushing cisterns are still used in the vast majority of their washrooms and without the proper controls they are eroding their profitability and wasting water. There are, however, simple ways to reduce these costs.

The original hydraulic valves are still popular, sold in large numbers and are quick and easy to install. An electronic version - which we called the Infra Red Cistermiser (IRC) - was introduced more than 10 years ago. It has the same benefits but offers even greater control. For pubs which do not have automatic flushing cisterns there is the Direct Flush which flushes each urinal each time it is used, but only then.

All these devices are now on the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Water Technology List of Enhanced Capital Allowances which means both their initial cost and that of fitting them can be written off against tax in the year of installation.

It is estimated, on DEFRA's own latest figures, that each IRC installed can save about £500 per cistern and recoup its cost in less than six months.

These developments do not mean hygiene is being ignored in favour of water saving. On the contrary, such valves can provide regular hygiene flushes when toilets are not in use. They also work well in conjunction with waste pipe filters which can prevent the drain blockages that are every publican's nightmare, not only because blockages make toilets temporarily unusable - usually at busy times - but also because of delays in and the substantial costs of remedial action.

With urinal waste pipe filters (see Cistermiser's Freeway, pictured) blockages can be avoided without pouring huge amounts of water down the drain. They contain easily replaceable toilet blocks, look as good as new indefinitely and allow fluids to flow freely through them while keeping out such debris as discarded food and sweet wrappers, human hair, partly used antiseptic blocks and cigarette butts.

Electronic valves such as the IRC have an adjustable flow mechanism for reducing still further the amount of water needed to keep urinals free of blockages and odours, while for the most stubborn smells emanating from deep in the waste pipes, a microbiological dosing powder can be used as part of a regular cleaning routine.

In case anyone thinks these measures are optional, they are not. The current Water Regulations require that all automatic flushing cisterns have such controls, and this applies throughout the UK, not only in the drought-stricken South East. This reflects not only fluctuating rainfall but also the escalating demand for water, from industry, commerce and a rising number of houses and flats.

Further water and cost savings can be gained by using infra red taps which are adjustable for timing, can be battery-operated and save users touching headworks which have been handled by others.

Similarly, microbiological dosing of toilet cisterns can be operated without touching levers, be battery-powered, comply with the regulations on water-saving and meet rising demand for built-in services, either with or without their own easily fitted cisterns.

Lastly, our Washroom Control package, which incorporates an electronic control box, sensors and solenoid valves, offers savings similar to electronic and hydraulic valves, and a good deal more besides.

It can operate across adjacent men's and women's toilets, plus one or two nearby utility rooms or kitchens, and when these are not in use it can save the energy needed for lighting, extractor fans and water-heating, while minimising any flooding caused by malfunctioning or vandalised water fittings.

Geoffrey Gestetner is managing director of Cistermiser, which supplies water-saving and blockage avoidance solutions to pub group JD Wetherspoon among other companies. For more information visit www.cistermiser.co.uk​.​

If in drought...​

It might be raining, but the South East corner of England is officially in a drought and publicans, along with everyone else in the region, are under a hosepipe and sprinkler ban.

This is a nuisance for pubs with large gardens, especially at a time when you want your outdoor areas to look their best for bank holidays to come, not to mention the summer, should it ever get here.

Commercial gardens are explicitly included in the ban, so if you want to water yours you'll have to use an old-fashioned watering can - or face the possibility of a £1,000 fine.

There are some odd exceptions to the law, though. If you have a paved patio, for instance, you are allowed to hose it down. And if you have a fountain in your garden, you can keep it splashing away.

For more information, contact your local water supply company.