The chief executive of the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) has backed possible plans for more appliances to have water usage information in a bid to help householders reduce consumption and bills.

Paul Hide voiced AMDEA’s support for such additional information in a podcast with Affinity Water.

The changes to labelling requirements may come about as part of a Defra review which is yet to publish its findings. Water consumption information per cycle is already mandatory for washing machines, washer dryers and dishwashers but the Government may extend the requirement to a wider range of appliances.

Paul Hide said: “The labelling of white goods is a good thing primarily for helping people to understand the water consumption – alongside the energy consumption – of their appliances, and equally how to minimise that consumption both from an environmental impact and a cost perspective. We certainly support that provision of useful information.”

He stressed the importance of having one label only providing water and energy usage, rather than separate labels, and for any labelling to be easily understood so it could help people make well-informed decisions.

“We are very focused as an industry on improving people’s understanding of sustainability and how to use appliances the most economically – both for water and energy,” he said, referencing AMDEA’s award-winning Know Watt’s What campaign.

He also emphasised AMDEA’s work with housebuilders and regulators in the drive towards net zero homes, whether for new homes or for improvements to existing homes.

Asked what he would like to see in homes to improve water consumption, he answered smarter water meters that could show users how much water individual appliances were using.

You can visit the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-031TNLxjg