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Water metering is only part of the solution to reduce Britain’s water consumption according to one Staffordshire company following a call by the Environment Agency for water meters to be introduced into every home.

Cynthia Fisher is commercial director of IntaEco, a company specialising in the supply of component parts to the renewable energy market. She said: “Making people pay for what water they use, rather than a flat rate for using as much as they like should have the long term effect of encouraging them to use less, but I believe that it will take at least a generation to influence people to change their behaviour. Small changes can make a big difference, such as showering instead of bathing and not leaving the tap running whilst brushing your teeth. Unfortunately the habits learned from childhood are extremely difficult to change.”

“We believe that in addition to water meters, flow control devices should be installed. These passive devices limit the amount of water any tap or device can use. They are relatively cheap and easy to install, and where water meters are fitted, should make a significant money saving contribution to water usage.”

“The devices – ours are called Calflow Plus –restrict the flow of water to a rate that is appropriate to the outlet where it is installed. For example, it’s not necessary to have water going into a hand basin at the same rate as a bath. Having a flow restrictor on a bath can also have a beneficial effect – a bath that takes longer to fill will encourage bathers not to have their bath so full, which saves water and also the energy taken to heat it.”

“We agree with Ian Barker, head of water resources at the Environment Agency, who has said that not all the messages about reducing water use in the home were getting through”.

“People like gadgets, especially ones that save them money. Increasingly they like gadgets that are eco-friendly too. Although the plumbing trade regard flow control devices as ‘standard kit’, we’re happy for consumers to ‘discover’ them as the next big thing in water and money saving.”

“It is short sighted to believe that a financial penalty alone will alter people’s behaviour – after all, the campaign to save electricity by not leaving appliances on standby doesn’t seem to be making much headway. Whereas a simple gadget that turned things off whew you’d finished with them probably would.”

“We believe that any home that has a water meter fitted should have flow control devices fitted too, it is the only way to make a difference to water consumption within a sensible time scale.”