Water company looks to reduce carbon footprint

9 October 2008

Scottish Water is examining ways to reduce its overall carbon footprint by increasing the amount of renewable energy it uses. According to the Scotsman, electricity demand at the water firm grew by ten per cent between 2002 and 2006, with a similar increase expected over the four years to 2010. In order to prevent a rise in the amount of carbon it emits, Scottish Water is looking to renewable energy sources to meet this growing demand. Currently, 5% of the energy it uses is generated from its own renewable schemes and the company hopes to double this, reducing its dependence on grid electricity. Meanwhile, water industry regulator Ofwat is to examine the pricing policies of water companies in England and Wales after they revealed their plans for the five years from 2010. Water firms insist price rises are necessary to ensure investment in essential infrastructure and improvements in water quality. The watchdog said it will analyse the proposals in detail to ensure the increases are justified.

Hosepipe bans and water shortages remind us that we need to do our utmost for the planet. Read uSwitch.com's water saving ideas and see if you can save money by switching to a water meter.

Start switching

< Back to market news

© 2008 Adfero Ltd

Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.