Hard water is responsible for over 8 million tonnes of CO2

Converting all UK homes to soft water would save 8.24 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent to taking 1.8 million cars off the road, according to Harvey Water Softeners. 

Around 13 million homes in the UK are in hard water regions.

The energy usage of hard water is higher primarily due to limescale buildup, the average family of four living in these areas can accumulate up to 70kg of limescale every single year.

Limescale deposits within heating systems and can cause blockages in pipeworks and boilers, reducing heating efficiency and increasing energy bills.

Harvey Water Softeners have launched a new water softener, the Harvey Arc, that is non-electric and only regenerates when necessary, saving energy and lowering running costs.

The softener also uses cutting-edge metering technology to ensure every drop of water is measured, limiting unnecessary water usage.

Tony Jones, general manager at Harvey Water Softeners, said: ‘Hard water is a blight on many households’ finances, health, and efforts to protect the environment.

‘It is well documented that hard water causes limescale build-up which can lead to bigger bills and lower energy efficiency. What is not as well-known is the impact it can have on your carbon footprint.

‘We are delighted to be able to present this research in conjunction with the launch of our new eco-friendly water softener, the HarveyArc. We are always looking for ways to become even more environmentally friendly and, with the HarveyArc, we are truly leading from the front.’

In related news, the proportion of money spent on flood defences in deprived areas has ‘reduced substantially’ in the last six years, according to a new report.

The report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) claims while the government is on track to achieve its target for better protecting 300,000 more homes from flooding by March 2021, it does not have a comprehensive way of measuring how it has managed to reduce the overall level of flood risk across England.