Installing Encore cisterns in offices would save billions of litres of water a year after new figures show flushing the toilet is the biggest waste of water.

Toilet flushing accounts for 43 per cent of total water use in offices.

In comparison, washing and urinal flushing uses just 27 and 20 per cent respectively.

The data from South Staffordshire Water PLC also shows the average water consumption for office buildings is 50 litres a day per employee.

Offices that have not received refurbishments to washrooms in recent times will be using older toilets that use between 7.5 and 13 litres of mains water per flush.

Technical Director at Encore, David Davis, said: “Flushing the toilet is the biggest waste of water in offices.

“It is significant given how many offices there are globally, how many people work in them and the frequency toilets are used.

“Offices can make huge water savings simple by installing Encore instead of conventional cisterns as it uses as little as 3.5 litres per flush and it is the only cistern in the world that uses recycled air conditioning condensate, not mains fed water.

“In hot countries the amount of condensate produced by air conditioning units means the need to use mains fed water in offices is virtually eliminated by using Encore.

“Offices by their very size and the number of people working in them – each using 50 litres of water a day on average – means they can play a really important part in the global effort to save water.”

Office water use is broken down as follows:
– Toilet flushing: 43%
– Washing: 27%
– Urinal flushing: 20%
– Canteen: 9%
– Cleaning: 1%