Understanding
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TE
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customer demand
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for water
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Our water resources are under increasing
W
pressure from a rising population, demographic
shifts and the impacts of climate change. In
order for water companies to plan for these
18
challenges, they need to understand their
customer demands more fully. Atkins has
recently developed useful management tools
that give water companies this insight.
Following the drought in South-East England, UKWIR,
the UK Water Industry Research body, commissioned
Atkins to undertake an innovative study to assess
what effect hosepipe restrictions actually had on
customers’ use of water. The team developed a
statistical model to estimate what daily demand might
have been and compared this to the demand that
was actually recorded under the influence of hosepipe
ban restrictions. This enabled the team to estimate
the effect different types of restrictions could have on
demand for water. The results of this work have since
helped water companies to improve their drought changes in a wide range of factors including the
management plans. weather, day of the week, average occupancy and
socio-economic indicators.
Atkins has also developed one of the UK’s most
JAMES
advanced statistical models of household demand. The need for management tools to help
DUGGIn
This was produced using Anglian Water’s extensive improve understanding of how external factors
Senior
household component consumption monitor to help affect customers’ water-using behaviour will
Consultant
the company improve its understanding of per capita become ever more important for the water
STrATEGy,
ASSESSMEnT &
water use. Household demand was broken down industry. Atkins’ has helped companies fill this
MAnAGEMEnT
into its components to predict how customer water gap in knowledge, enabling them to plan for T: 01372 756814
use could vary through the year, taking into account the future with more certainty. n James.a.duggin@atkinsglobal.com
Developing a framework for wastewater planning
Designing wastewater systems in an
“ Tools were developed for planning in the face of key
economically robust manner is a big challenge
for the water industry. With uncertainties in
uncertainties, such as future demand, climate change and
terms of future growth and environmental consent conditions. ”
regulation, an industry-wide framework for long
term planning of wastewater services of environmental and social externalities to help
was needed. planners take uncertainties into account when
making decisions.
UKWIR, with support from Ofwat, commissioned
Atkins and sub-consultants Frontier Economics to The resulting framework has been adopted by Ofwat
produce a wastewater supply-demand planning as a requirement for water companies to follow
framework for the UK water industry. in PR09. It adopts an integrated investment and
risk-based approach that is linked to the Capital
To develop the framework, the team undertook Maintenance Planning Common Framework.
GrAyDOn
in-depth consultation with the environmental
JEAl
and economic regulators and water companies in The study has provided a consistent framework
Principal
England, Scotland and Wales. Definitions for key for economically-robust long term wastewater
Consultant
terms (e.g. ‘creep’, ‘headroom’) were developed to planning for the UK water industry. It has also
STrATEGy,
ASSESSMEnT &
help practitioners and regulators to communicate made a significant contribution towards securing
MAnAGEMEnT
clearly and consistently use a common language. economically justified long term investment in T: 01372 756858
The team also created guidance for the inclusion wastewater services. n graydon.jeal@atkinsglobal.com
Autumn 2008 | solutions
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