Reducing water use in offices

JG Afrika's Cape Town office reduced its water consumption by 67% between 2011 and 2017 through a phased approach of demand reduction and efficiency upgrades. Initial steps in 2012 and 2013, including reducing irrigation and installing waterless urinals, led to a 24% reduction in average annual water consumption. In response to the Western Cape drought in 2016 and 2017, the firm turned off irrigation entirely, implemented weekly consumption logging, and installed hold-flush toilets, low-flow tap aerators, and low-flow shower heads. These technical interventions were supported by staff education and awareness campaigns. To further increase resilience, the firm installed two 10,000-litre rainwater tanks. The total capital investment for these measures was R13,100, resulting in annual water savings of 727 kilolitres in 2017 and cumulative annual savings of R33,424 since 2011.

• JG Afrika's Cape Town branch achieved a 67% reduction in office water consumption from 2011 to 2017 using a combination of awareness and efficiency measures.
• Early interventions in 2012 and 2013, specifically reducing irrigation and installing waterless urinals, resulted in a 24% decrease in average annual water consumption.
• In response to the Western Cape drought in 2016 and 2017, the firm implemented more aggressive measures including turning off irrigation, weekly consumption logging, and installing hold-flush toilets, low-flow tap aerators, and low-flow shower heads.

APA

Fundikwa, B., & Kasner, S.-A. (n.d.). Reducing water use in offices. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Case-Study_JG-Afrika_FINAL_DIGITAL.pdf

Chicago

Fundikwa, Bridget, and Sally-Anne Kasner. Reducing water use in offices. GreenCape, n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Case-Study_JG-Afrika_FINAL_DIGITAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fundikwa |first1=Bridget |last2=Kasner |first2=Sally-Anne |title=Reducing water use in offices |publisher=GreenCape |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Case-Study_JG-Afrika_FINAL_DIGITAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fundikwandreducing, author = {Fundikwa, Bridget and Kasner, Sally-Anne}, title = {{Reducing water use in offices}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Case-Study_JG-Afrika_FINAL_DIGITAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }