Sectors/Public sector/Municipal programmes
For towns and municipalities

A household water-saving programme — and adaptation to drought.

We help the municipality cut water use in residents' homes. Lower bills for people, less pressure on local sources, and the public communication ready to go — modelled on programmes proven in Germany.

What the programme includes

A complete package for the municipality

01

Water-saving components for homes

Shower regulators and tap aerators for residents. People fit them themselves in a few minutes — no plumber, no work on the pipes.

02

Distribution that works

A voucher in the local bulletin; collection at the town hall, the library or through social services. No installation contractor, no asset register.

03

Communication and assessment

Texts for the bulletin, a press release and a calculation of what the municipality and the households actually saved. Material for adaptation and ESG reporting.

How it runs

How the programme runs

01

Scope

From the number of households and the type of housing we set the quantity, the mix of components and the budget.

02

Voucher

The offer and the voucher run in the local bulletin. Residents know what they get, where and by when.

03

Collection

Town hall, library, social services. We recommend a limit per household and splitting it into two rounds.

04

Fitting

Residents do it themselves, in minutes. Simple instructions are included — nothing is drilled or dismantled.

05

Assessment

From the number handed out we calculate the water and energy saved and give the municipality the material to communicate it.

Two rounds have a practical reason: the first shows the real level of interest, and only then is the rest ordered. In Freiburg, 5,500 of the first 7,500 units went in a matter of days — the second round was then 12,500.

Documented result

What the programme achieved in Freiburg

Impact on the city per year

20 000
units handed out in two rounds, the whole programme in roughly three months
scope
126 360 m³
water saved per year — the city translated that as 631,800 bathtubs
water
~1 000 t
CO₂ saved per year, thanks to less water heating
emissions

And what one household gets out of it

According to the city, an average household saves roughly 8,000 litres of hot water a 300 kWh of energy — in Freiburg that came to €100–120 a year. The shower regulator there cut the flow from 16 to 9 l/min.

Source: the City of Freiburg's official bulletin (Amtsblatt no. 835, 18 March 2023). The city assumed conservatively that 75 % of the units handed out would actually be fitted. These are German figures at German prices — we will recalculate for your municipality using local water and energy prices.

Proven models

Two models that have worked in Germany

They differ in who runs the programme and what triggers it. That also determines how it is argued to residents.

MODEL A · THE CITY

Freiburg, 2022–2023

  • The city itself initiated and paid for it.
  • Two rounds, 20,000 units in total, a limit of 2 per person.
  • Collection through the environment department, social services, the city library, the employment office and community centres.
  • The second round targeted households at risk of energy poverty.
Suits larger towns with no acute water crisis — it carries an environmental and a social message.
MODEL B · WATER UTILITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES

The Müllheim area, since 2022

  • Two water associations initiated it together with the town and the surrounding municipalities.
  • Drought was the trigger — the yield of local springs fell from 140 to 25 m³/h.
  • A voucher printed in the local bulletin, 1 unit per household, collected at the municipal office.
  • The associations put the saving at up to €150 a year per household.
Suits regions under water stress. Costs and benefits are shared between the utility and the municipalities.

Model B is interesting wherever the water utility joins in — lower household draw is in its interest too. In Czechia it can build on the initiative Zachraň modrou (rewater as operator) and on the partner project Energo-Chudoba for households at risk of energy poverty — both are Czech programmes.

Value for the municipality

Savings, adaptation and PR in one

The programme helps residents, meets drought-adaptation goals and gives the municipality a positive story for communication and ESG.

Lower household costs
A direct saving on residents' bills.
Drought adaptation
A measurable reduction in water use.
Positive PR / ESG for the municipality
A ready-made campaign and a documented impact.
Start here

We will prepare a programme for your municipality

From the scope through the components to the communication with residents.

Arrange a programme