Water charges for industry include charges for the supply of water and the discharge of water.  These charges are increasing as water utilities seek to recover the costs of upgrades to distribution systems and treatment works.

Many IPPC licenses contain a condition that requires reduction in water usage to be considered.  However, it also makes sound commercial sense to reduce water consumption as not only do you pay for the use and disposal, but you also pay to treat it, pump it and heat it.

Environmental Efficiency has significant experience of reducing water consumption in industry.  Notable successes by us have been achieved in the food and chemical sectors.

For a Dublin adhesive plant we identified potential water savings of 82% with a six month financial payback.  Savings identified included replacement of underground pipes, modifications to liquid ring vacuum pumps, modifications to cooling towers, and repair of the water softening system.

For a Naas food plant we conducted a mass balance of water use and discovered that a fault in the boiler blow down system accounted for 12% of site water consumption.  This was rectified at no cost, but the fault had been undetected by the company for over three years.

For a Co. Mayo bakery, the local authority had assessed the bakery's capital contribution to the new waste water treatment plant based on water usage and effluent loading.  We were able to halve the proposed capital contribution for the new waste water treatment plant by reducing water use (by alternative cleaning techniques) and by redcuing the effluent loading (by use of screens and settlement tanks). 

For copies of Case Studies, please contact us.