Water infrastructure must prepare for a hotter future following sustained summer pressure on Britain’s water networks, warns the Copper Sustainability Partnership.
Utilities including Severn Trent and South East Water have reported some of their highest ever levels of customer demand during this year’s prolonged periods of hot weather.
Now that the Met Office has warned that heatwaves are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity over the coming decades, CuSP are spotlighting the importance of a long-term approach to material selection in water systems to cope with increasingly challenging conditions.
The surge in water demand during recent heatwaves has also increased pressure on ageing distribution networks, pumping infrastructure and leakage management programmes.
As utilities face the dual challenge of maintaining reliable supplies while reducing water losses, the resilience and lifespan of materials used across water networks is becoming an increasingly important consideration.
Copper has been used successfully in plumbing and water infrastructure for generations and remains one of the most durable and resilient materials available.
It offers exceptional thermal stability, durability and recyclability, making it a resilient choice in hotter temperatures.
However, in recent years, plastic pipework has become an increasingly common choice for many councils and independent bodies due to its lower upfront installation cost.
To combat this, CuSP is making a call to action to ensure that infrastructure is future proofed, as plastic piping runs the risk of thermal expansion, softening and deformation in hotter climates.
Oliver Lawton, co-founder of CuSP, said: “Too often, infrastructure decisions are driven by short-term considerations.
“With climate pressures increasing, asset owners and developers should be focusing on lifetime performance, resilience and environmental impact.
“The materials selected today will still be in service decades from now, when hotter summers may be the norm rather than the exception.”
CuSP’s call comes shortly after the Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources warned that public water supply could fall short by 5 billion litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to futureproof resources.
Water companies are already investing heavily in network upgrades as part of long-term resilience strategies, with greater emphasis being placed on whole-life asset performance.
Copper can withstand decades of temperature fluctuations, pressure changes and environmental stress and CuSP believe that material selection should be recognised as a core component of climate adaptation strategies to minimise future disruption.
Oliver continued: “As industries invest further in the infrastructure that is built to last, we believe copper should play a central role in delivering systems that are robust, sustainable and fit for a hotter Britain.
“Futureproofing our water infrastructure will require a combination of copper materials, smart water management and essential collaboration between the plumbing industry, trade associations and public sector bodies.”
Founded by Lawton Tubes and Mueller Europe (Wednesbury Tube), CuSP comprises of two competing copper tube manufacturers who have joined forces to promote the environmental benefits of copper and speak out against the plastic greenwash.
CuSP welcomes organisations and academia to join their cause, championing the use of copper in the built environment.
The partnership is using copper as the driving force to expose the inaccuracies commonly seen in the plastics greenwash and to stand up for green construction, building a greener, more sustainable future.
