New national standard to get non-domestic users to save water

Source: Today Online

SINGAPORE — The Republic will have a new voluntary national standard to get non-domestic users to save and use water more efficiently.  It does not prescribe water efficiency goals; instead it provides a framework, methodology and set of guidelines to put in place policies, systems and processes to use water more efficiently, which promises to help enterprises achieve water savings and reduce operational costs.

Called Singapore Standard SS 577:2012, it will be launched today by the Singapore Standards Council and PUB, the national water agency. According to the PUB, water demand in Singapore currently stands at about 400 million gallons a day. The non-domestic sector accounts for about 55 per cent of Singapore’s total water consumption and this is expected to increase to about 70 per cent in the next 50 years.

The new standard complements the PUB’s 10% Challenge programme, which encourages non-domestic users to reduce water consumption.  To encourage the adoption of the standard, the agency has enhanced initiatives like the Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) and Water Efficient Building (WEB) certification.

Funding quantum for the WEF — a co-funding scheme — has been increased from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of the total water audit costs, subject to a cap of S$15,000.  The PUB will also co-fund an additional 90 per cent of the upgrading or installation cost for remote metering, subject to a cap of S$15,000.

The WEB certification will now have two more tiers — Gold and Silver — to better recognise exemplary performers in water efficiency, as well as those certified in the new standard.