31-Mar-2010

IRELAND IS A NATION OF WATER GUZZLERS

Ideal Standard urges Ireland to reduce its water consumption


91% of Irish people have no idea how much water they use, despite using on average, over 150 litres a day, according to national research conducted by Ideal Standard International, a leading provider of innovative and design-driven bathroom solutions. The survey, which was conducted by Ideal Standard following World Water Day, found that Irish people unwittingly waste excessive amounts of water doing everyday tasks, especially in the bathroom.

40% of those surveyed use in excess of 172 litres a day on showering, brushing their teeth and flushing the toilet alone.

Not surprisingly, showering accounts for the largest volumes of water used in the bathroom. Almost 61% of respondents take 10 minutes or longer in the shower each day, with over

67% letting the water run for 1-2 minutes before getting in. If we take into account the fact that that showers use a minimum of 9 litres of water per minute, then over half of respondents (52%) who shower on a daily basis, use at least 108 litres of water per day showering alone.

 Ideal Standard is urging Irish people to consider how much water they use each day and find easy ways to conserve this vital and precious resource in the bathroom. This can be achieved by making simple changes to the bathroom routine or by swapping guzzling taps, baths or toilets for more water friendly alternatives.

Survey results show that 40% of Irish people flush the toilet between 5-6 times a day, using on average 40 litres of water per day.  The average toilet uses 8 litres per flush with old style single flush toilets using as much as 13 litres of water per flush. Households can reduce the amount of water they use, by replacing old toilets with water-efficient dual-flush toilets, which use only 6 litres for a full flush and 4 litres with a reduced flush. Water use can also be reduced by the installation of waterless urinals, which are popular across Europe. Ideal Standard Internationals' Armitage Shanks brand, offers an Aridian urinal that uses no water at all and can save up to 87,000 litres of water per year compared to other urinals.

Gerard Walsh, Managing Director, Ideal Standard said, "We have researched Irish bathroom water usage to make people aware of the amount of water that is unnecessarily wasted in their bathroom each day. We have found that although two thirds (66%) of Irish people are interested in reducing the amount of water they use there is a distinct difference in the amount of water Irish people think they use and their actual consumption levels.

"Water is a precious commodity and there are a number of simple steps that people can take to reduce their water usage, from reducing the amount of time spent showering, to reducing the flow from taps, or  turning taps off when not in use and where possible, replacing old toilets with more water efficient alternatives."

An easy and cost free way to reduce personal water consumption is by turning the tap off when brushing teeth. The majority of Irish people (67%) brush their teeth twice daily, as recommended, for an average of 2-3 minutes per brushing. Most (62%) leave the tap running, wasting 6 litres of water per minute, that's 24 litres per day. By turning the tap off when brushing this can be reduced to just 2 litres per day.  Fitting flow regulators to taps can also cut down on unnecessary water usage and Ideal Standard offers a range of mixer tap regulators designed to give a maximum flow rate of 5, 4, or 2 litres per minute.

The 2010 World Water Day theme (which was held on March 22nd) was Clean Water for a Healthy World – there are an estimated 1.1 billion people around the world that rely on unsafe drinking-water solutions.  In many developing countries, water consumption is as low as 20 litres a day for the average person.

Additional information:

-    Only 2% of Irish people take a bath daily, one fifth (20%) have a bath monthly and over two fifths (43%) would never take a bath

-    The average bath takes 80 litres of water and taking a short shower instead of a bath can save 300 litres of water per person per week

-    Ideal Standard offers a range of low capacity baths  such as the Concept, which uses as little as 116 litres of water compared to a typical household bath which uses 190 litres

-    The Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that a dripping tap can waste up to 90 litres of water a day leading to excess water wastage in older bathrooms

-    82% of those surveyed have an electric shower

-    Over the years WC flush volumes have reduced from as much as 20 litres in the mid 20th century down to 6 litres or less today

-    Recent improvements in pan design mean that Ideal Standard International can offer dual flush WCs that flush on 4 litre full flush and 2.6 litres part flush, saving half the water compared to a standard 6 litre WC. 4 or 4.5 litre single flush WCs are another option to guarantee lower water usage where users are unfamiliar with dual flush operation



ENDS

Notes to editor

The Ideal Standard bathroom survey was conducted across Ireland in February 2010.


About Ideal Standard:
As Europe's leading bathroom brand, Ideal Standard's goal is to create a life space that reflects personalised well-being. The brand follows three main philosophies: design, functionality and innovation. Ideal Standard is the flagship brand of Ideal Standard International.

 
About Ideal Standard International:
Ideal Standard International, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is a privately-owned company, operating independently in Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific.  The company also has presence in Central and South America via a joint venture called Incesa.  With bathroom solutions as its core business, the company provides bathroom furnishings, fixtures and shower enclosures for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Internationally, its products are sold under the following brands; Jado and American Standard (Asia/Pacific and Incesa), as well as leading local brands including Incesa Standard (Incesa), Armitage Shanks/Shires (Ireland & UK), Ceramica Dolomite (Italy), Porcher (France and Incesa) and Vidima (Eastern Europe), In Ireland, the portfolio also includes: Ideal Standard, Trevi, Sottini and Jado products.

The Ideal Standard Press Office

Hill & Knowlton Tel: +353 16626930

Email: idealstandardire@hillandknowlton.com