Edinburgh-based water retailer Business Stream has awarded six public sector initiatives nearly £50,000 of funding through its annual Public Sector Scotland (PSS) Water Efficiency Fund.
The fund is part of a commitment made by the company to support public bodies across Scotland to deliver water efficiency projects designed to promote environmental and financial savings.
This year’s successful candidates include a Heriot-Watt University initiative to install a water chiller unit to cool, condense and recirculate used water; the installation of modern, electronic low-flow taps at Glasgow Caledonian University; and the fitting of waterless urinals and aerator tap technology at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University.
In addition to providing funding, Business Stream will also support the delivery of each project.
Chief Executive of Business Stream, Jo Dow said: “We’re delighted that our annual Water Efficiency Fund is continuing to support the Scottish public sector to deliver water efficiency projects. Given the current economic climate and growing pressure to operate sustainably, it is important that organisations across all sectors manage their water use efficiently. By reducing water consumption, our fund is helping public sector organisations across Scotland lower their water and energy bills and reduce their impact on the environment.”
A spokesperson from the Scottish Procurement Utilities team added: “Scottish Procurement and Property acknowledges the Business Stream approach to pro-active water management. The annual Water Efficiency Fund has identified projects which will deliver water resource savings and education opportunities. The Water Efficiency Fund supports the opportunity to reduce water consumption and provide financial savings for public sector customers of the ‘Water and Waste Water Framework.”
The fund allocation process was overseen by a judging panel comprising representatives from Business Stream, the Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC), public sector bodies and Scottish Procurement.
Business Stream recently announced that it had saved Scotland’s public sector over £2.2m in water costs during the second year of its three-year contract. The financial savings equate to 1.4 billion litres of water being saved — achieved through a combination of the retailer’s water efficiency and leak detection services.
Header image shows Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream.
