We saw this review on SchoolAdvisor…
and had to find out how Rivonia Primary was able to save R1,000-R1,500 per day on water consumption. We chatted with Ken Nunes from Suntricity, the company behind AquaStop™. Ken provided 5 hard-hitting statistics about water consumption in schools and detailed what a school would need to do to save, just as Rivonia did.
5 alarming statistics about water consumption in schools
Statistic 1: 60% of a school’s water consumption takes place after hours
Although this appears to be complete madness, the 60% value is very real. Suntricity initially carried out “real-time” monitoring on 8 schools in Johannesburg. This involved the installation of a “check water meter” including data loggers, where data was uploaded every hour to their FIRSTLOOK™ Online Platform.
Further to this, over a period of a full year and with the invaluable help of the schools’ Caretakers, daily photos of the schools’ meters were taken at 7am and 4pm. This enabled them to confirm consumption During School Hours (7am to 4pm) and Outside School Hours (4pm to 7am).
The results: The study found water consumption outside of school hours to be between 40% and 60% of the total water consumed. Water consumed when the school is CLOSED can only be referred to as WASTE.
Statistic 2: The price of water has more than doubled since 2012
In fact, the price of water (at least in Johannesburg), has increased by 142% from the base year of 2012. Ken let us know that whilst these increases may be considered “excessive”, the real truth is that the vast majority of schools do not give sufficient importance in trying to understand water consumption in the school.
Ken continues that “This, of course, is unconscionable given the severe water shortages in South Africa. It is still a very common practice for schools to irrigate their gardens with Municipal Water, allow cisterns to leak for weeks before repairs are carried out, allow underground leaks to go undetected for weeks while hundreds of KL are wasted, etc, etc…”
Schools must understand that monitoring consumption must be a constant (daily) function of the Maintenance Team and equal importance must be given by the Administrators and SGB to keep track of their Municipality Costs.
Pro tip:
- The Estate Manager at Rivonia Primary has a member of the Maintenance Team inspect ALL TOILETS IN THE SCHOOL, every day, to make sure there are no cistern leaks or dripping taps.
- The Estate Manager at Northcliff Primary religiously records the readings of the Municipal Water Meter each and every day of the year. So does Bryneven Primary, Robin Hills Primary, Forest Hill Primary and Rivonia Primary. Saving water takes serious commitment.
Statistic 3: The average cost of water per year is R379,630 in Primary schools and R764,400 in High schools
Suntricity analysed the Municipal Water accounts of 50 schools in Johannesburg, starting back in 2017, which resulted in the following average annual water consumption:
- Primary Schools: 5,500 KL at R69.02 – Total Annual Cost: R379,630 in 2019/2020.
- Secondary/High Schools: 11,060 KL at R69.02 – Total Annual Cost: R763,400 in 2019/2020.
This average cost will, of course, vary depending on the geographical location of the school. Water costs in some Municipalities in South Africa can be 40% less than in Johannesburg. However, the KL Average will not be very different.
Ken says that “From experience and the reductions we have achieved to date, we can quite confidently suggest that the annual average water consumption of most schools can be reduced by a minimum of 50%. And, through further investments and infrastructure improvements, consumption can even be reduced by up to 80%. For an average primary school, this would be achieving a saving of at least R190,000 per year.”
Statistic 4: The most saved by a school due to incorrect billing of water by the Municipality is a whopping R8,000,000
Unfortunately, this situation was very real. And, although the evidence presented to the Municipality was very obviously caused by a manual system error, it took almost a year and countless hours at the Municipality to resolve. During which time, the Municipality regularly sent their ‘outsourced operatives’ to disconnect the school’s water.
Suntricity estimates that 10% to 15% of schools have experienced incorrect billing in Johannesburg. This is essentially caused by ‘human error’ and not malicious. However, they have evidence where the GDE has paid an ‘incorrect bill’ on behalf of schools (monies which are subsequently deducted from the schools’ stipend), which have never been recovered.
If you think your school has an incorrect billing issue, Suntricity published a series of 5 articles which identify the 5 most common causes of incorrect billing.
Blog 1: Change of Water Meter
Blog 2: Arithmetical Error
Blog 3: Water Meter on the Invoice NOT installed at the school
Blog 4: Water Meter damaged by vandalism
Blog 5: Extended Estimated Reading Periods
Statistic 5: Suntricity has helped schools save up to 9,000 KL of water until the end of July 2019.
This saving is presently valued at approximately R600,000 at schools where AquaStop™ is installed. The average savings, of course, depend on the initial problem and can vary from R10,000.00 and R17,000 each month. That’s a savings of between R120,000.00 and R200,000.00 each year, which, even in 2019, is considered ‘good money’.
How can a school begin reducing their water consumption and saving money just as Rivonia did?
Suntricity has published several articles over the last year aimed at stimulating schools to begin the long process of saving water. Ken says that “There is no ‘quick fix’ solution. Reducing water consumption must be considered a marathon, not a sprint.
Without data, you can’t understand the problem and, therefore, it’s not easy to develop the right solution. This will take time and will require buy-in from the school’s Facilities Managers.”
Action steps:
- Step 1: Suntricity can analyse your Electricity and Water Municipal Invoices for the last 4 years to establish your ‘status quo’.
- Step 2: Study ‘consumption patterns’ of your Municipal invoices. Send photos twice a day for a period of at least one month (preferably 3 months). This will establish your consumption during and outside school hours.
- Step 3: Install AquaStop™ if necessary (download the AquaStop™ information flyer here).
Steps 1 & 2 are really low-cost investments. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll understand the scale of the problem.
If you would like to get hold of Suntricity and start saving water right away, fill in your details below. We’ll ask a friendly member of the Suntricity team to get in touch with you and advise on what you can do. [By filling in the form, no commitment is required from you. It’s just an initial chat].
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