Clean water is an important resource for hospitals. It is used in multiple locations (e.g. wards, canteens, toilets) and for many different functions (e.g. dialysis, drinking, cleaning). In general, as long as water is there when it is needed, people tend not to worry too much about it. However, every litre of water that is paid for may not reach its intended tap, toilet or shower. As water is a costly resource, ensuring that it is carefully monitored and tracked is an important job for every hospital.

1

The problem

Unlike waste or energy, problems associated with water (e.g. leaks, pipe breakages, faulty ballcocks) can be difficult to identify until a large bill has been run up or water stops coming out of a tap. The graphic below highlights a four month period (bars in red) where a leak went undetected and cost one Irish hospital €32,000 in wasted water. Unfortunately, many sites do not have regular online monitoring systems in place which help identify problems as they arise. Also, as bills may not come very regularly and are usually paid by accounts, the information contained on water bills may not be available either.

Though every hospital has dedicated staff working on their water system, they often spend most of their time maintaining large users and reacting to daily problems. Therefore, having an easy to access online monitoring system is one of the most important parts of an effective water management system.

2

Why is it important?

Cost is obviously a major driver with the HSE being one of the largest users of water in Ireland, spending approx €10 million annually at its 2,500 locations nationally. Water costs vary considerably across the county from a high of €3.04 per m3 to a low of €1.59 per m3 (non-domestic water charges 2018) but, regardless, wasted water can be a significant cost for a hospital.

In addition, there is the issue with continuity of supply as well as water quality. Many hospitals have large storage tanks that guarantee them with water for up to a few days. Should issues arise, excessive water use or undetected leaks can become a serious issue. In addition, where water leaks out of a pipe, dirt can enter. This can have impacts on sensitive areas (e.g. reverse osmosis) but also regarding bacterial growth in pipework.

3

What to do About Water

In terms of the main actions, these can be categorised under three main headings:

WATER PAID FOR

This ensures that there is a system in place that allows easy on-going analysis of water use that will facilitate benchmarking and early leak detection. Through ensuring this, and minimising leaks, it can ensure that your hospital is only using the water it pays for.

WATER USED

In order to start reducing the water actually used throughout the hospital, a better understanding of where, when and why water is used is needed. Through monitoring the daily use profile, strategic sub-metering of the site and surveying the main users, a water use reduction plan can be developed.

WATER THAT SHOULD BE USED

Once leaks have been minimised and a thorough understanding of water use generated, then identifying options to reduce can begin. This will firstly involve comparing your hospital to best practice benchmarks. Then, based on your site, you may want to address any number of areas including best practice flow rates, regulating pressure in the distribution system, addressing large users such as, for example, reverse osmosis or kitchen equipment.

Shower Retrofit, CUH

Cork University Hospital reduces water consumption and saves on carbon through retrofitting their showers throughout the hospital
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Sligo General Hospital

Changing taps throughout the hospital reduced water used but also reduced carbon associated with hot water provision
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Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore

Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore saves over €12,000 per year with RO water harvesting
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Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown

Water data logging saves Connolly Hospital €183,000 per year
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Newcastle Community Hospital, Wicklow

Leaks detection saves €40,000 on water bills
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Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise

Annual potential savings of €2,400 identified
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Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the best method to track the changes to the water consumption in any of the hospital and to compare to the other hospitals. Benchmarking involves gathering annual water consumption and comparing it to the number of patient bed days provided by the hospital (a standard benchmarking figure for the healthcare sector). This normalises water use data so it can be compared across hospitals on a common basis (i.e. the water used for each patient bed-day). Read more

Leak Detection

The main objective of leak detection is to reduce the wasted water resources and expenditure, as well as preventing water contamination. The Green Healthcare programme created a water leak detection fact sheet for Irish healthcare sites.

Read more

 

Water Efficiency Guide

The Green Healthcare programme produced this guide that outlines the best practices for the efficient use of water consumption in a healthcare sites.
Read more

Think Before you Flush (Infographic Poster)

Infographic showing how flushing items such as wet wipes down the toilet can cause pipe blockages and damage our marine environment

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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Think Before You Pour (Poster)

Poster on how to prevent fats, oils and greases (FOGs) from damaging our wastewater network and environment.

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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The Dirty Dozen (POSTER)

When these items are flushed down the toilet they can cause problems in our homes, wastewater treatment network and the environment

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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An Dosaen Salach (The Dirty Dozen) - POSTER as Gaeilge

Níor chóir na rudaí seo a shrughlú síos sa leithreas go brách

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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Water Efficiency Guide (2024)

This Guide provides an overview of the main aspects involved in efficient water use in Irish hospitals. Including case studies and best practice benchmarks the guide provides a stepwise approach to address water conservation in your hospital.

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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Water Submetering in The National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh

Case study on the sub-metering of water and gas in Cappagh Hospital and how it helped identify leaks, save money and reduce carbon footprint

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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Croom Legionella Flushing Case Study

Case study on how, through small changes, the staff in Croom Hospital reduced the water use associated with legionella flushing saving water, money and reducing carbon emissions

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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Legionella Flushing Guidelines (Poster)

This poster outlines the best practice guidelines for flushing in different locations throughout Irish hospitals and also identifies the best practice tap flow rates that can help reduce water use and the carbon emissions associated with hot water use

Format: Guide       Year: 2024
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