West Sussex County Council has taken a decision to join the AquaFund shared saving scheme, which will help reduce the amount of water used by the Council while supporting the charity Water Aid.
As part of the County Council’s drive to be more efficient, environmentally friendly and make budget savings, officers have been looking at opportunities to reduce utility bills and the Council’s carbon footprint.
The AquaFund shared saving scheme provides a 100 percent grant to cover the cost of water saving equipment and a bill validation and tariff analysis service.
In return, the County Council receives 50 percent of the savings made, while the other 50 percent goes to AquaFund to be reinvested in other projects. After the five-year contract period, all the savings go to the County Council.
Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources Michael Brown said: “We estimate that the County Council can save 20 percent of its current water consumption by signing up to the scheme. Over the five-year contract period, this equates to £160,000.
“This scheme is so attractive as AquaFund donates one percent of all its revenue directly to the charity Water Aid, which improves access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities, meaning that we are helping charity while also saving water.
“It’s a win-win situation, not only is the County Council reducing its carbon footprint and water consumption, but in turn it is saving money off its utility bills, and supporting Water Aid and the vital work they do.”
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