One-to-One Heavy Water User Project

 

 

The Challenge:
Assist 80,000 “high volume” households who were using significantly more water than the community average to curb their consumption.

 

The Project:

Prior to creating Econnics, founder Kirk Stinchcombe was co-creator and project director of the “One-to-One Water Saving Project” as part of the South East Queensland drought response in Australia.  This ambitious and unprecedented project sought to work directly with 80,000 households (15% of single family homes in the region) who were using above-average amounts of water during a critical time of drought.

 

The obstacles were many, including the fact that there was little data to explain why each individual house was using more water. The causes could be varied - large families, internal leakage, home-based businesses, and illegal outdoor watering to name just a few.  Another challenge was posed by the state government sponsoring agency asking that the project be designed, launched and fully delivered in only six months! 

 

The team used an innovative “mass customization” approach to collect data from the residents through a 58 question water use survey.  The results of the survey were then used to create a customized water saving plan and tool kit for each household, tailored to the individual circumstances of each.  For example, houses with swimming pools were provided with a tool kit that included water proof instructions for maintaining it more efficiently as well as information on how to get a rebate on a pool cover.  Homes without pools received different information personalized to their specific needs. 

 

The Result:

The project was delivered on time, despite the radically condensed timeframe of only six months.  Remarkably, 92% of target households completed the initial survey. Fully 70% of households were using less than the target water consumption level at the end of the program, resulting in water use reduction of over 30 million litres per day.  The project was a groundbreaking effort in mass customization and community-based social marketing.