NEOPERL - Helping you hit your water saving targets

Water is a resource under growing pressure and as each person in the UK uses on average 141 litres of water every day, the highest usage across all European countries, it’s understandable that there is a drive for more water efficient new homes.

Planning authorities expect limits of 125 litres of water per person per day on new developments and they can also ask for a lower limit of 110 litres as a planning condition. So, any products that help the developer reduce water usage have got to be considered and early in the planning process.

“NEOPERL PRODUCTS SHAPE THE WATER STREAM AND REGULATE ITS FLOW RATE.”

It’s estimated that 34% of all water used in the home is through showering and bathing and here’s where the fitting of a flow regulator or Pressure Compensating Aerator (PCA) from Neoperl can help. These small devices can be retrofitted and inserted at the end of a tap spout or upstream of the shower outlet, to reduce and regulate the water flow. A standard European shower will produce around 18 litres of water a minute and yet an equally comfortable shower is possible from a shower head delivering around 12 litres of water. If one considers a 7-minute shower a day that’s 42 litres of water saved by one person per shower. Add to that the savings that can be made by reducing the flow in bathroom and cloakroom taps, which are often just used for cleaning teeth and hands and the savings really add up. And if it’s saving the amount of water used, it’s also saving the energy that heats it!

“MANY AERATORS AND FLOW REGULATORS FROM NEOPERL CAN BE RETRO-

FITTED INTO NEW TAPS AND SHOWERS TO SUIT THE USAGE.”

Some valve showers and taps come with a flow control device within them but is it the correct device for that particular house, room or usage? It’s only once the tap or shower is in situation that the flow can really be assessed. We’ve all experienced taps that splash water out of a basin or a shower than splashes out of an enclosure where a small reduction in the flow would improve both the performance, the comfort and reduce the water usage. It’s a simple audit that’s required and it could help save thousands of litres of water a year per home.

A clever little flow regulator device is technically engineered and has an integral dynamic control ring (DCR) at its core. As water flows through it and as the external pressure fluctuates the DCR deforms into the core of the flow regulator, either reducing or increasing the size of the orifice, to enable a stable and constant flow, independent of pressure. To retro fit a flow regulator or PCA is an easy job for an installer, they simply need to obtain the right product to retain adequate performance and a tool to fit it. A quick simple fix to help save water and the environment.

Neoperl UK is a huge worldwide manufacturer of these devices. In the UK they are based in Malvern in Worcestershire, and they manufacture many different sizes but advise that most UK taps and showers are compatible with just a handful of sizes.