New research published by Irish Water shows that over 50% of those surveyed under-estimate average daily personal water usage by half.
The results come as Irish Water launches a public information campaign on the importance of continuing to conserve water.
The average person uses 129 litres of water a day, as verified by the Irish Water’s economic regulator, Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
However the research commissioned by Irish Water indicates that:
- 56% of those surveyed believe that the average person uses less than 50 litres of water per day
- 20% believe they use between 51 and 100 litres
- 14% estimate that it is between 101 and 200 litres
- 10% believe it is over 200 litres.
The research among 1,000 adults was conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A) between 11th July and 19th July 2018 on the public water usage and attitudes.
The B&A survey also shows that two out of three people (65%) have begun to make a concerted effort to change their behaviour in order to conserve water.
Commenting on the survey, Chartered Engineer and Irish Water’s Corporate Affairs Manager Kate Gannon said,
“Conserving water is a new conversation for many people but an important one. The recent period of drought has shown that the demand on Ireland’s water supply can impact homes and businesses across the country. 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.
The majority of those surveyed say that recent communications have made them think and act differently regarding their water usage and conservation.
The water company said its main priority is to safeguard water for the future and ensure that it did as much as possible to minimise the risk of widespread outages and interruptions to supply into the future.
The research results are highlighted as Irish Water launches a public information campaign, encouraging the public to use a little less and conserve water. The campaign, which will be seen across TV, radio and online, in newspapers and on outdoor displays over the coming weeks.
Irish Water is already doing what it can by ramping up leakage repair, taking operational interventions and supporting and educating customers. However,the company added:
“Given the size and scale of the challenge that faces us, it is vital that the public continue to play a role in conservation.”
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