World Water Day 2024 with the motto "Water for Peace" reminds us that we cannot take water for granted. In addition, the call for sustainability is getting louder and louder, as immense amounts of it are consumed every day. The average water consumption per person per day for personal hygiene and household is around 130 liters of water. In the hotel industry, it is more than twice as high at 290 liters. Ulrike Rabmer-Koller from the Upper Austrian Rabmer Group has been campaigning for many years to disseminate innovative solutions from Austrian companies in the field of sustainability and climate protection to the public and to increase acceptance of them, as this is precisely the key to climate protection. This is why it recently launched the initiative "Save energy & water. Now!" initiative.
In view of the increasing scarcity of water due to climate change and the growing population worldwide, 24 countries have committed to a cooperation agreement for all their shared water resources to protect and conserve our most valuable resource, water[1]. But even in smaller areas, enormous amounts of water can be saved - often with just small technical aids. Just think of the daily shower: One minute swallows twelve to fifteen liters of water. After ten minutes, at least one hundred liters of pure drinking water end up in the sewer. The Upper Austrian Rabmer Group - a Climate Alliance company, bearer of the Austrian Federal Ecolabel and member of the globally active Sustainable Hospitality Alliance - has increasingly focused on the consumption of the most valuable resource, water, in recent years and provides solutions that enable water, energy andCO2 to be saved at the same time, thus saving high costs.
Conserving resources without sacrifice
Saving water is one thing. However, giving up comfort and beloved habits is another. Many people have found that using water sparingly goes hand in hand with this. The Rabmer Group's award-winning ecowaterjet technology successfully demonstrates that the two are not mutually exclusive. The mini turbine can be conveniently installed between the shower head and shower hose and therefore does not generate any waste that would otherwise be produced by replacing conventional shower heads with so-called economy shower heads. "The ingenious technology of air-water turbulence inside the turbine creates a powerful jet of water despite reducing the water flow from the standard twelve liters per minute to up to six liters per minute," explains Ulrike Rabmer Koller. She is the second generation to run the family business. This makes it possible to save up to 50 percent water and energy at the same time, without any loss of comfort. In concrete terms, for a two-person household this means savings of around 250 euros and 22,000 liters of water per year, for a business hotel with 100 rooms around 13,000 euros and a whopping 1.4 million liters per year.
"Save energy & water. Now!" and secure a 15 percent discount
The Rabmer Group dedicated itself to the efficient use of water and energy forty years ago. This has resulted in innovative solutions that now help private individuals, companies and municipalities around the world to save water and energy. This commitment is reflected in the initiative "Save energy & water. Now!" initiative, which is supported not only by the Federation of Austrian Industries, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and Leitbetriebe Austria, but also by many companies and municipalities. The initiative focuses on raising awareness and implementing hot water saving campaigns, thereby reducing household costs and cutting CO2 emissions in the long term. "Our common goal is to reduce energy and hot water consumption in 1,000,000 showers across Austria," says Rabmer-Koller. This would result in an annual saving of 3.2 million GJ of energy, 22 million m3 of water and 290,000 tons of CO2! Everyone who takes part in the campaign will receive a discount of at least 15 percent. More at www.energie-wasser-sparen.jetzt
Ulrike Rabmer-Koller has gained a special reputation as a pioneer in innovative environmental technology, not only thanks to this initiative, but also on the basis of many other innovations such as the use of wastewater energy to heat and cool buildings, the excavation-free renovation of water pipes and environmentally friendly lime and corrosion protection. What is particularly important to her is that it takes 4 I's. Innovation as an essential key, investment in sustainable technologies, information to the public and the internationalization of Austria's high innovative strength to other countries around the world in order to reduceCO2 emissions beyond borders - and thus also to live up to the motto "Water for Peace".
[1] https://info.bml.gv.at/themen/wasser/nutzung-wasser/weltwassertag2024.html
