Member Article

Demeter Water & Barchester Healthcare announced winners of prestigious sustainability award

Water management company, Demeter Water Solutions, and care provider, Barchester Healthcare, are delighted to have been announced winners in the prestigious Edie Sustainability Leaders Awards 2021 in the Water Management category after submitting a collaborative entry.

The two companies, who have worked together since 2012, decided to submit a joint award entry to highlight the work they have carried out in water management and sustainability together.

The award, which is the UK’s largest in sustainability, demonstrate the best examples of effective water management, recognising excellence across the spectrum of green business; from the best efficiency programmes through to product innovations.

Sedgefield based Demeter, owned by husband and wife team Andy and Liz Smedley, have over 30 years’ experience within the water industry, their tailored early detection monitoring systems and proactive customer service leads to early identification of water leaks and misuse which in turn lead to cost savings and a reduction in water usage.

Barchester Healthcare operates 240 care homes throughout the UK, delivering consistent, high-quality services for its residents and patients. Effective water and energy management is a strategic and operational component of that care. Reducing utility costs supports further investment in care services while demonstrating a commitment to addressing climate change and water conservation.

As water management is a whole team effort throughout Barchester and Demeter, to identify unnecessary usage, Demeter installed 137 data loggers across the Barchester estate. Data displayed through Demeter’s bespoke software, Utilities Manager, supports daily profile checking and alerts, fast generation of one-week reports and regular updates of portfolio performance.

After developing a water reduction scheme to a fully collaborative water management and monitoring programme, Barchester Healthcare’s water costs have been reduced by £385k per year and water consumption by the equivalent of one Olympic-sized swimming pool every week. These savings are sustained year-on-year through Demeter’s ongoing daily monitoring, advice and alert service.

Managing Director of Demeter, Andy Smedley, said, “We are delighted to win this award, it is testament to the hard work and commitment by both companies and reflects the savings and efficiencies that have been made.

To work with a client who is passionate about sustainability and its long term effects is fantastic for us, by blending innovative technology and a collaborative approach from both companies the reduction in water consumption has been outstanding. We very much look forward to continuing our programmes and improving the results even further.“

Lachlan Fulton, the Energy and Environment Manager within Barchester Healthcare commented, “The results of this project are due to the fantastic support we get from Demeter combined with the hard work of our care home staff. This award is in recognition of their efforts without which the savings would not be possible. We are excited about expanding the scheme to have an even greater impact.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nicola Halse .