With South-East England experiencing the driest period since 1933 ( Source: Environment Agency), there is an increasing pressure on householders to conserve water and to be aware of how much water their household appliances are using.

When Bettina Koppermann and her husband moved to their house in Canterbury , Kent , seven years ago there weren't any water restrictions in place in the region but in an attempt to address the drought, a hosepipe and sprinkler ban has recently been introduced. Further restrictions such as a ban on non-essential use (washing windows and watering the garden, for example) are also likely to be imposed soon if the situation does not improve significantly.

Bettina and her husband had been on a water meter since moving into their house, which helped them to monitor their water usage and meant that they were only paying for the water they used. Their existing toilet was using large amounts of water and they were keen to change this. Initially, they installed a water saving device in the cistern but this kept getting blocked and did not reduce the water usage enough to make a significant difference. In addition to this, the toilet was difficult to maintain and did not flush properly, making it even less water-efficient.

When refurbishing the bathroom, they wanted a toilet that was easy to maintain, leak-free and stylish in appearance. However, they were also conscious that it made environmental and financial sense to install a low water usage toilet. The ES4 4.5 litre WC, from Green Building Store, has been designed by water conservation specialists Elemental Solutions, and has a siphon flush, making it completely leak free. It also comes highly recommended by Southern Water's water efficiency manager, Magda Styles who has dubbed it ‘the' water-efficient toilet. They made the decision to install the ES4 4.5 litre toilet and have been pleased with its performance. Bettina says “Since installing the ES4 and replacing our shower, so that we use the bath less often, we have managed to reduce our water usage from 40m 3 to 24m 3 in six months , which shows how easy it is to make significant water savings at home.”

Suppliers: Green Building Store, Unit 6 Heath House Mill, Heath House Lane, Golcar, Huddersfield, HD7 4JW , Tel: 01484 461705 or Web: www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk
Further information on water saving: www.environment-agency.gov.uk or www.beatthedrought.com