Innovation Award for PHS’ Flush-wiser®

The uniquely adaptable Flush-wiser® WC Flush Control device from PHS Washrooms, has won this year’s British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) Innovation (New Product) Award. The prestigious prize was conferred at the 8th annual BIFM International Investors in FM Excellence Awards; held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, on Monday 13th October 2008.

Flush-wiser won for its potentially momentous impact on the environment, providing a mechanism for saving literally billions of litres of water and millions of pounds in UK water and sewerage charges. That’s because, unlike traditional cistern displacement devices, the clever gadget can be adjusted to ensure that maximum savings are made without compromising on hygiene. Schools and government buildings have been among the first to reap Flush-wiser’s benefits.

Importantly in times of economic downturn, Flush-wiser can help the beleaguered FM save up to 33% in water consumption and charges for each flush, without compromising on hygiene or WC efficiency, and while helping to satisfy water regulations.

The BIFM Awards constitute the largest FM event in the UK, with 1,200 facilities management professionals gathering this year, to celebrate its highest achievers. The Innovation (New Product) Award is reserved for products – including technology, furniture design and products of all types - that demonstrate an efficient, cost-effective contribution to facilities management in general. Importantly, the winning product’s innovative characteristics, compared to available alternatives, should also be clearly demonstrable, and it must prove itself throughout a rigorous judging process. In PHS’ case, four BIFM judges met with the Flush-wiser product development team at PHS’s Design Centre in Tamworth in June 2008, and grilled its Design Manager Jon Todd, Technical Supervisor Michael Armstrong and Product Manager Katie Barlow for a good two hours, to prove the technicalities and merits of the product.

Nigel Maydew, BIFM’s lead judge for the Innovation (New Product) Award states that this year’s Award went to Flush-wiser because "It presents a simple, understandable and cost-effective solution to a worldwide problem".

At just 4cm in diameter, Flush-wiser is a deceptively simple device that attaches to the siphon in the WC cistern. With 6 different settings, it works by allowing air into the siphon, which in turn reduces the amount of water used to flush. Each setting allows more air into the siphon, and the more air that goes in the less water is used. It’s simple and ingenious and can reduce the amount of water used per flush by up to a third – that’s 3 litres of a 9-litre cistern.

Flush-wiser will help many more WCs to meet the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which state that all new WC’s installed after 1st January 2001 should flush with no more than 6 litres of water. Flush-wiser is unique in that it provides a way to drop flushing down to 6 litres in those cisterns installed before 2001 (most of which flush at 7 litres or 9 litres), thus creating the potential for all operating WCs to flush economically and satisfy the Regulations.

The potential savings, based on an average UK water and sewerage charge of £2.31 per m3, are astonishing:
· The PHS Group’s head office in South Wales has 500 staff and 13 WC pedestals. If each staff member used the toilet 3 times a day, Flush-wiser could deliver annual water savings of 1,080,000 litres (over 16,500 washing machine cycles) and cost savings of over £2,300.
· In a secondary school with 900 pupils, each flushing twice a day, Flush-wiser could deliver water savings equivalent to 18,000 baths in one academic year. If installed in secondary schools throughout Wales, it could deliver an annual cost saving of over £1 million.

Early indications show Flush-wiser is destined for success, with interest from all sectors, including water management consultancies and water companies:
· It’s won the WRAS mark of approval, essential for water devices.
· It’s currently being assessed for a ‘Waterwise Marque’, and is now included on DEFRA’s approved Water Technology List.
· Many water companies are in the process of assessing Flush-wiser for inclusion on their own lists of approved water saving products.
· Over 10,000 units have been sold since its launch in January 2008.

Ian Osborne, PHS Washrooms’ Managing Director, comments: "In times of economic downturn it can be hard for facilities managers to deliver cost efficiencies while maintaining the environmental standards that have become so important to British organisations in recent times. However Flush-wiser is one product that can help them do just that, providing a demonstrable method by which FMs can meet their environmental, sustainability and financial targets. It is part of our expanding Water and Energy Saving product and service range, and reflects PHS Washrooms’ commitment to environmental protection."