Reducing water use in offices

The Cape Town branch of JG Afrika reduced its office water consumption by 67% between 2011 and 2017. This was achieved through a sequence of interventions including reducing and eventually eliminating irrigation, installing waterless urinals, low-flow taps, low-flow shower heads, and hold-flush toilets, alongside staff education and the installation of two 10,000-litre rainwater tanks.

• Between 2011 and 2017, the Cape Town branch of JG Afrika, an engineering and environmental consulting firm, reduced its office water consumption by 67% through a combination of awareness campaigns and water efficiency measures.
• JG Afrika implemented a phased approach to water reduction starting in 2012. Initial steps included reducing irrigation water and installing waterless urinals in 2013, which led to a 24% reduction in average annual water consumption. In 2016, in response to a prolonged drought in the Western Cape, the firm turned off irrigation, began weekly consumption logging, and educated staff on drought responses. In 2017, further interventions were added, including low-flow shower heads, low-flow tap aerators, and hold-flush (interruptible flush) toilets.
• The water efficiency project resulted in annual water savings of 727 kilolitres in 2017, with a total capital investment of R13 100 and cumulative annual savings since 2011 totaling R33 424. Additionally, the firm installed two 10 000 litre rain water tanks for use within the building after first reducing demand.

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} }