Southern Water has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for continued efforts to reduce its impact on the environment.

Last year Southern Water implemented 300 energy saving initiatives at 30 of its top energy-consuming wastewater sites.

Across the two-year certification period the company’s efforts have resulted in a 1.1 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which in the past year alone resulted in a £1.2 million saving on power and chemical consumption.

Emma Bennett, Southern Water’s Carbon Policy Manager, said:

“Saving energy and cutting carbon emissions is a priority for Southern Water and we are delighted to have our efforts recognised formally with the Carbon Trust Standard.”

Its green initiatives include installing timers on machinery to prevent continuous operation, using recycled chemicals in the treatment process, running sites at night when energy is cheaper and installing combined heat and power units (CHP).

Over the past five years Southern Water has invested millions of pounds installing CHP units which harness biogas created during a key stage of the wastewater treatment process.

Previously biogas would simply have been burnt off in a flare but now it provides 80 per cent of the power used on site, with any surplus exported to the National Grid.

Darran Messem, Managing Director of Certification at the Carbon Trust, said:

“It takes a lot of energy to pump water where it is needed and treat wastewater, so responsible water companies are quite rightly focusing on how to reduce the carbon emissions from that energy use and take action on climate change. We are delighted be able to award Southern Water with the Carbon Trust Standard, recognising the ongoing progress the company has made in cutting its carbon footprint.”

Southern Water has made a promise to its customers to increase the proportion of renewable energy it uses to 16.5 per cent by 2020.