Most Brits wrongly assume their car emits more CO₂ than household water use

Nearly three quarters (73%) of Brits wrongly believe their family car generates more carbon emissions than every-day use of water in their home, according to new research¹ out today from Watergate. 

In fact, a typical four-person home’s annual water use emits one and half times more CO₂e² than a typical family car driving the UK annual average of 7,600³ miles. 

The carbon emitted by water use is high because the process of creating clean drinking water (from extraction, treatment, distribution, all the way through to discharge) is extremely energy intensive. Another major contributor to water’s carbon footprint is the energy used to heat water for bathing, washing and cleaning.

The findings illustrate widespread confusion over how our water is created and the environmental impact of water usage. They also underscore a need to increase water literacy as Britain faces a looming water scarcity crisis. Despite Britain’s reputation for wet weather, we will need 5 billion litres of new daily water supplies by 2050 – almost twice the daily consumption of London⁴, according to a recent Environment Agency report.

To help people understand the connection between water use and carbon emissions, Watergate and Waterwise today launched a free Water Impact Calculator. Anyone can use this tool to better understand their water consumption, its carbon footprint and the savings they can make. 

The calculator includes simple water saving tips that show how a typical household can make quick changes to save water, money and carbon. For example, if a four-person, heavy water-use household using 814 litres/day followed all the water saving tips, they could cut their water consumption by 575 litres/day, saving them up to £850 on water and energy bills per year and cutting their water carbon footprint by 2.2 tonnes annually.

Watergate founder and CEO, Krystian Zajac, said,“We’re all now more aware of how things like the energy we use, travel, or the food we eat contribute to our carbon footprint. But very few people understand how the process of creating fresh water – and the way we subsequently use it – generates substantial carbon emissions. We need to learn to value water and better understand how using less of it helps reduce the impact of climate change.”

Waterwise CEO, Nicci Russell, said, “Saving water means saving carbon – it’s vital that as part of our climate actions we take steps to use less water and it’s important we start taking action now. There is also a clear monetary benefit to doing so – the price of water and energy is continuing to rise, so using less water means a little more money back in your pocket. We hope our new tool helps people to better understand this and equips them with easy ways to take action.”

The code for the Water Impact Calculator is also available for free using this embed code to anyone who wishes to feature the tool on their website and help raise awareness of saving water. 

About Watergate

Watergate is a British impact startup engineering smart solutions to stop water waste. We help homeowners and businesses save water by spotting and stopping water leaks and giving them water insights that encourage positive behaviour change. https://watergate.ai/ 

About Waterwise

Waterwise is the leading independent voice in the UK for using water wisely, for the benefit of people and the planet. Our vision is that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by everyone. We work with organisations, individuals and communities to lead and inspire change so that water is never wasted. As a not-for-profit organisation, we actively support and challenge everyone we work with to aim high on water efficiency for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy. https://www.waterwise.org.uk/

Notes to editors

¹ Independent market research company Censuswide was commissioned by Watergate to conduct a nationally representative poll of 2.000 British adults in August 2024. See data here.

² CO₂e stands for Carbon Dioxide Equivalent, which is a unit of measurement that compares the impact of greenhouse gases (GHGs) on the climate.

³ The water consumed by a typical UK household emits 2.6 tonnes of carbon a year – one and half times more than a typical car driving the UK annual average of 7,600 miles which generates 1.749 tonnes per year. Data from CCW shows each person uses 145L of water per day, which is equal to 211.7 cubic metres annually in a four-person house. The CCW also says 109L of water is leaked per property per day (39.785 cubic metres annually), giving total consumption of 251.485 cubic metres/year. Every cubic metre of water we use generates a carbon footprint of 10.4kg of CO₂e, as per data from sustainability experts, Dar.

⁴ London consumes 2.6bn litres of water per day, Source: Greater London Authority.