An innovative program undertaken by projects firm Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) for the Water Corporation of Western Australia has demonstrated the effectiveness of using voluntary behaviour change techniques in tackling scarce water problems.

The technique could attract global attention in light of the much higher cost of major capital expenditure initiatives to either obtain or save water.

The project in the Water Corporation’s Great Southern Region to help cut households’ water consumption achieved a 17–19 per cent reduction amongst those people involved in a voluntary behaviour change approach, compared to those in the control group who had not.

Liz Ampt from SKM believes the results achieved by Water Corporation could be replicated in other parts of the world.

“Adding a voluntary behaviour change approach to the two commonly used tactics to change behaviour (i.e. supply and demand measures) has been shown to create long–lasting change,” Ms Ampt said.

“Voluntary behaviour change occurs when we encourage people to change independent of the top-down mechanisms of supply and demand management. It uses the approach of ‘helping people to help themselves’—encouraging their own ideas for change.

“Interestingly, this strategy is often overlooked, but it can be the cheapest and most effective component of the triad of change measures.”

For Water Corporation, SKM was engaged to deliver a residential behaviour change program utilising community-based social marketing techniques for properties in the geographical region of the Lower Great Southern Region of WA, to reduce local water consumption by 15 per cent.

Known as H2ome Smart, the Program was partially funded through the Water Corporation and the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative.

It was completely free and voluntary to participate in the 12 month program, which was aimed at helping households to reduce water use and encourage water efficiency.

The project commenced in April 2011 with a letter and phone call inviting households to register to be part of the program.

Over the 12 month program, participating households were provided with water saving information and one-to-one advice on areas where water savings could be made.

During the program, meters were read every 5-6 weeks to keep households on track with any changes to their water consumption.

An H2ome Smart consultant was able to coach and support participants through the program, helping households reduce their water use and save money. At the same time consultant were also able to tell householders if their home was eligible for a free Waterwise upgrade.

The program concluded in March 2012 with great success.

“There were about 4,500 households that participated and we saved over 90 million litres of water over the 12 months,” Ms Ampt said.

“The program also replaced 942 toilets and 4160 showerheads for more water efficient models. The Water Corporation is to be commended to undertaking this innovative water saving program. The project demonstrated the Water Corporation’s ability to think outside the square.”