Tuesday 17 May 2022: Summer 2022

 Tuesday 17 May 2022: Summer 2022

• What is your favourite summertime activity?
• Do you have any plans you are you looking forward to this summer?
• Are you planning on doing any water-related activities (e.g. water parks, water balloons, swimming)?

My favourite summertime activity is lying peacefully in the hammock, which I bought for my wife after having visited the hammock shop in the city centre of Amsterdam (near the Bloemen Markt) - something I have been unable, sadly, to do for the past ten years.

This year involves a seemingly never-ending succession of hospital appointments. I hope and pray that my family and I survive to the autumn when we hope to visit Arras, a small city in northern France, for the day. (In Arras, there is a Changing Places toilet, which allows the trip to be even thinkable.)

The only water-related activity I can think of is the near-industrial operation required to irrigate the fruit and vegetable garden (a full-size allotment), and the orchard of a hundred trees, mostly apples, pears and plums and cherries. This is not my favourite activity. 

At the end of May the central heating gets switched off until the middle of October. Whilst showers can be managed using the immersion heater, a bath requires the central heating boiler. I look forward all week for a long soak in a hot bath, with bath foam, Epsom salts and frequent top-ups of very hot water. I read in the bath until my eyes refuse to stay open. By the time I have to rise out of the water in order to cook the evening meal, I am so dehydrated (I assume from sweat) that my thirst takes an age to quench. It is akin to a sauna (which I also love and miss from long ago): my skin feels soft and restored, and my muscles turn to jelly. Although I adore the warmth, and the light mornings and light evenings, of summer, I miss my Friday evening baths, which gives me a reason to accept the awful descent into winter.

Monday 9 May 2022: Water Neutrality

 Monday 9 May 2022: Water Neutrality

What is water neutrality?

Although I have never heard the term before, I imagine that it is analogous to 'carbon neutrality', that is, a situation in which overall water usage is not greater than the rate at which the natural environment can replenish it, with the consequence that rivers return to full natural flow, water tables stop sinking, and aquifers are no longer being depleted. I imagine that water neutrality requires reduction in water consumption, and the cleaning and re-use of grey water.

In order to achieve water neutrality in a home or flat, solutions need to be installed or built in:​

• What water saving solutions are you aware of? (please specify if for a home or flat) ​

• What do you think motivates customers like yourself to install water-saving solutions such as these in their homes? Why?​

• What are the barriers? Why? 

There are devices that can be (retro-)fitted, such as tap aerators and toilet cistern water displacement devices. There are devices that can be fitted at refurbishment, such as dual flush toilet cisterns and aerating power showers. There are maintenance programmes to ensure that taps are not dripping and toilet cisterns not leaking. There are water storage containers (such as water butts) in which to store rainwater and grey water for use, say, in the garden. There are customer education programmes to encourage customers to think more carefully about how they are using water. There are smart water meters that allow customers to monitor their water usage on a daily basis in order to understand how they are using water, with a view to reducing unnecessary water use. My personal motivation for water use reduction is due to my long-standing commitment to reducing my impact on the environment as a whole. I imagine that this commitment applies to some people. I am also motivated by shame that I was responsible for the wasting of nearly a million litres of water, although I was ignorant of the burst mains pipe until the water started to make its way to the ground surface. I am partly motivated by a need to reduce my bills because I have no income. In my view, the greatest barrier to customers reducing their water use is neither knowing, nor really understanding, how much water they are using, and that the effect, as a society, on the natural environment as a result of overuse is significantly damaging. Smart water meters would go some way to countering this ignorance.

What is meant by 'water re-use'?

Water re-use generally refers to the capture, treatment (if required) and use of alternative water supplies for non-potable purposes. It includes rainwater harvesting, greywater (typically the used water from baths, showers and hand basins) and black water (sewage) recycling and any other type of water recycling or reuse.

What is rainwater harvesting?

The ancient practice of rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be traced back at least 4000 years. Rainwater harvesting is the term used to describe the collection of rainwater that falls onto surfaces, such as roofs, and is stored for future use.

Is rainwater harvesting the same as storm water or surface water harvesting?

Some people use the term RWH to include both the capture of rainfall directly from roof areas as well as the capture and reuse of surface water runoff (also known as storm water or surface water harvesting). These two types of rainwater harvesting may vary quite a bit in terms of water quality, scale, application, cost etc. depending if it is rainwater from roof areas only or a surface water harvesting system.

What is grey water recycling?

Grey water, especially where it is limited to that from baths, showers and washbasins (sometimes termed ‘light grey water’) can be considered high volume, low strength wastewater with high potential for reuse. Most existing buildings plumbing directs all wastewater to the sewer. Separating out grey water from the more polluted wastewaters (e.g. from toilets, often termed ‘black water’) means it can be treated and used as an alternative source of water for non-potable purposes. Generally, grey water recycling (GWR) systems can supply water for toilet flushing, irrigation, outside water use and laundry.

What is black water recycling?

Black water is any wastewater that is contaminated with water discharged from a toilet, so this can and usually does contain grey water. It can also be used to describe wastewater, process or cooling water from industry. Blackwater recycling requires treatment before it can be reused. This usually involves aerobic screening, biological treatment, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet disinfection, TDS (total dissolved solids) and nutrient removal and chlorination.

After reading the definition of rainwater harvesting, what do you think are the pros and cons of this water-saving solution? Why?

What do you think would motivate you to install a RWH solution in your home/flat, what are the barriers? Why?

Yes, please. I already harvest what I can, but it is the proverbial drop in the ocean in relation to my needs. The pros are obvious: quantities of water that fall from the sky that does not have to travel though the water supply system with all the attendant costs. The principal cost is that of creating the storage capacity. I am already highly motivated towards rainwater harvesting. However, harvesting the water is pointless if I have nowhere to store it. What I have is 1,000 litres of storage. What I require is a means to store up to 500,000 litres of winter rainfall for use during the now-annual spring and summer droughts.

After reading the definition of grey water recycling, what do you think are the pros and cons of this water-saving solution? Why?

What do you think would motivate you to install a GWR solution in your home/flat, what are the barriers? Why?

Again, yes, please. I manually save bathwater, and use it for toilet flushing. Vegetable and fruit washing water gets used to water the greenhouse plants. Washing up water is also used for toilet flushing. I would love to be able to divert all grey water into proper storage (we currently use lots of buckets), but I not only do I need pipework from, say, the showers (and the bath), but again, there is the major issue of storage. This latter is the principal barrier to making fuller use of grey water (say, from showers). Whilst I have no reservations about using grey water appropriately, I have no doubt that there would need to be quite a lot of customer education in order to encourage ordinary (uncommitted) people to make use of it.

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Rank the following preferences: (my ranking shown)

1. Reducing environmental impact by decreasing the amount of water abstracted from rivers and groundwater sources.

2. Reducing the amount of water going into the sewage network by using less water, recycling grey water and rainwater harvesting.

3. Saving water – around 112,000 litres could be saved every year for each water neutral home built.

4. Improving resilience for the future by minimising the additional pressure on water resources and networks.

5. Saving money – annual savings on water and energy bills of around £44 per home can be achieved from reducing water demand in the home to 85 litres per person per day (for those on a meter).

6. Enabling future housing growth in water scarce areas by reducing the impact of new homes and buildings on the water environment, and preventing water resources being a constraint to growth.

Please explain your ranking ​

1. What was 1st place and why does this appeal the most to you? ​
2. What was last place and why does this not appeal as much?

My first place ranking is about protecting the natural environment. Human hubris is bringing the world to the edge of disaster, and both individually and corporately we need to centre-stage the natural environment. To be fair, the first six statements are all important. However, I reserved for last place prioritising economic development. As a world we need to be stepping back from economic development, as we are already using annually the replenishable resources of 1.6 planets (Earth overshoot). Here in the UK, (the sixth largest economy in the world, we are using resources at a very much faster rate than the world average, so the stepping back has to be very much greater than the world average. There is a desperate need for new housing, but this does not have to be as greenfield developments. The most pressing housing need is for one and two-bedroom social housing, which would be much more environmentally-sustainable if built as flats on brownfield sites in cities and large towns (concentration of services, availability of public transport) as low-rise multiple-occupancy buildings. I should prefer to see no new greenfield developments, and allow the term 'water neutrality' to be applied more widely to cities, towns and villages.

Thinking about grey water systems. These require specialist plumbing and storage space. The unit requires space equating to the size of an American style double fridge. If you were buying a newly built house and knew that the system could save you around £44 per year on your water and energy bills, what would you be prepared to trade-off/ give up in order to make space? Please select from the list below and explain why in the comment box

I’d give up approximately five feet of garden space

I’d give up having a patio

I’d give up the full garage and park my car on the road

I’d give up one car worth of space in a double garage

I'd give up something else(please describe)

I wouldn’t want to give up anything

Personally, I would make any of these sacrifices, because I feel so motivated by the issue. However, I suspect that I may be in a (very) small minority.

Grey Water installation can cost between £6000 and £8000, as well as fees for annual maintenance, but it could save you a third off your water bill every year -  How do you feel about this and why?

I can't afford the installation cost. It sounds like it would take at least ten years to recover the installation cost. I would require the water supply company to install it and allow them to reap the benefit of my reduced fresh water use.

Monday 4 May 2022: Customer Service

Monday 4 May 2022: Customer Service

1. Which utility companies (not Affinity Water) do you feel provides a truly great customer experience and why? 
• What specifically do they do which makes their overall service so great? 
• What do they do that actively makes you happy to be their customers?
• Outside of resolving queries/issues, how do these providers go above and beyond for you?
2. Thinking about Affinity Water…
• How do they compare when it comes to great customer experience? 
• What would an exceptional customer experience (from start to finish) look like for Affinity? 

My experience specifically of utility companies is that I am mostly treated as an account, not as a person. I used to like taking my Toyota Avensis to be serviced at Minories Toyota in Canterbury because:

1. I was welcomed, and called me Mr Hughes, rather than either avoiding my name, or else using my first name (for which I rarely give businesses my permission).

2. The service having been scheduled, I was expected, and my car was slotted straight into the smooth running of their day.

3. The work to be done was explained to me.

4. The expected costs were detailed to me, so that there would be no surprises.

5. A telephone number on which to reach me was written down so that if something unexpected was discovered I called be called, the matter discussed, including if extra time would be needed, and what the additional costs would be.

6. I was offered coffee and a comfortable place to wait (with an electrical socket for my laptop and a wi-fi signal), if I wished to do so, or offered a lift into Canterbury if I preferred.

7. When I collected the keys for my car, the work done was gone through with me, and the bill was clearly itemised.

In summary, my customer experience journey had been thoroughly thought through, and the staff trained to help me through that journey. The social transactions were personal (but not 'matey'), friendly, transparent and collaborative. I was always left feeling good about having participated in that journey, despite having had to pay out hundreds of pounds.

I do not have anywhere near as much experience with Affinity Water, so I am less certain about generalising. However, last week, I had the experience of an Affinity Water employee coming to my house to perform a leak and water-saving survey. He arrived at the correct time, which was good. I asked him for ID, which he showed me. I asked him to wear a face-covering, with which he was happy to comply. He was friendly and respectful throughout. He told me how long the survey would take, which was useful. He fitted two taps with aerators, and explained why other taps could not be fitted in the same way. He asked me questions about the major leak we had had, expressed how impressed he was with the water meter reading spreadsheet that I had printed out to show him, and asked whether I had registered with Affinity Water for Priority Services because there is a severely disabled person in my family (i.e. he was being attentive and thoughtful). I discussed with him about smart water meters (which Thames Water are now fitting for domestic customers). At the end of the visit, I was left feeling good about having participated in that journey, despite having had to have someone in the house (we are continuing to isolate ourselves pretty strictly). If this is the type of encounter that Affinity Water wish to have with its customers, then I applaud it.

1. Can you tell us about a provider who provided an exceptional customer service when you had an issue/ query? 
• What happened and why did they exceed your expectations?
2. When contacting Affinity customer services, what could customer service representatives do that shows outstanding customer service? (If you have any examples of this with Affinity or another utility company, we’d love to know)
3. Do you have a preferred way of contacting customer services for Affinity Water e.g. do you have a go to method (phone, email, text)? Does this vary for different contact reasons?
4. Some Affinity Water customers need additional support e.g. flexibility with payments, language support, priority services due to medical conditions. What do you think a brilliant customer experience should be like if you/people you know need more support?

I could give so many examples of customer service being badly handled, that I have mostly given up ever trying to pursue matters. What's the point in doing so when I know that I shall encounter heavily defended call centre staff whose only interest is to get off the telephone as quickly as possible, maybe because they have targets to meet, and company complaint systems intended primarily to exculpate themselves and thereby absolve themselves from any responsibility. So very many examples, including insurance companies.

However, I had a recent experience with the NFU insurance company in response to a tree crashing into my house and coming through the roof. The call centre person was friendly and gave the impression that she was not working against the clock. She took down details, provided an e-mail address to which to send photographs and further written details. She asked whether we wanted a loss adjuster to visit and arrange for trades people to make good, or whether we would prefer to organise the repairs ourselves. As we chose to make our own arrangements, we were told explicitly where to send the tradespeople's invoices. Money was duly paid out. It was as though the customer journey had been thought through and the member of staff who dealt with us had been well trained.

I like to be able to contact people by e-mail. (It is unbelievably frustrating that none of the many NHS medical staff we are frequently required to deal with have e-mail addresses. Instead, we can spend many hours trying to get through to them on the telephone.) Text messages are fine for very small pieces of information, but not as a primary means of communication.

People who require more support need to be interacting a member of staff who:

1. knows everything about the range of support available (knowledgeable),

2. has / is given the job of ensuring that the person who requires more support receives all the support that can be offered (in contrast to local and central government staff who are permitted to mention specific support only if it is explicitly requested by the service user);

3. are empathic (that is, they try to get a view of things from the perspective of the enquirer;

4. are warm and friendly.

I think that this would deliver an excellent customer experience.

People can be Affinity Water customers for years and years, particularly if they stay in the same area over very long period. We’d like you to come up with an idea of how Affinity Water could show these long standing customers they are appreciated (beyond just discounts on their bill!)

INSTRUCTIONS: Upload an image that represents your idea, then fill in the following boxes to describe your idea in as much detail as possible...

1. Name of the idea...
2. Key features/how it would work
3. Why you think this is a good way to show appreciation

Affinity Water lapel pin

Many years ago, I used to be a blood donor. I found this hard because giving blood always made me feel unwell. However, I felt emotionally committed to doing so. It came as something of a surprise to me to be issued with a Blood Transfusion Service discreet lapel pin once I had given blood ten times. I felt inordinately proud of myself, and wore the lapel pin on my jacket, in the same way that the photograph shows a discreet lapel pin being worn. I doubt that anyone ever noticed my lapel pin, but I knew that it was there, and that is what mattered to me. I gave up wearing tweed jackets twenty years ago, and regret that I no longer know where the lapel pin is (otherwise I would have photographed it and uploaded it here). Maybe Affinity Water could issue lapel pins or brooches (customer to choose which) to long-standing customers. (Remember that high court judge a couple of years ago who became identified by the spider brooch that she wore.)