WATER IN FIGURES 2019 DANVA STATISTICS & BENCHMARKING Denmark LEADER TEXT: CARL-EMIL LARSEN/ PHOTO: DANVA Wastewater heat pumps take heat production to a new level ater companies act efficiently and expenses. The total annual cost of drinking related to last year's hot summer in Denmark, create value for households and in- water and wastewater is € 771 for an average when the water companies experienced more W dustry. This document shows the family. The average water price has increased ruptures than usual as a result of the soil being water sector's key figures compiled by DANVA by only 0.94% from € 9.23 to € 9.32. It is less affected by the heat and creating more stress in “Water in figures 2019”. We will also review than the general net price trend for society as around the water pipes that caused several relevant topics including how water compa- a whole, which from 2017 to 2018 increased ruptures and resulted in water loss. nies are starting to use water as hydroelectric by more than 1%. The key figures also show that Danes have power plants to generate CO2-neutral energy, Moreover, the small change in the price access to tap water almost 24 hours a day, 365 which benefit consumers and the Danish cli- trend has to be seen in the context of the im- days of the year. Danes, on average, are without mate change plan. plementation of the "Three-Step Tariffs Model”, access to water for only 35 minutes out of the For example, Kalundborg Forsyning's new which led to cheaper wastewater prices for large 525,600 minutes in the year, which means they heat pumps pull heat out of the wastewater, consumers, and was during 2018 fully phased have access to water 99.99% of the time. giving a net energy gain of just under 8 kWh in. As a consequence of the discount scheme In other words, the water companies act per m³ of water sold through consumers. Morsø for major consuming industries, the average optimally and exactly as dictated by the policy Forsyning has installed a heat pump on their water price for the ordinary citizen in 2018 coming down from Christiansborg, the Danish water tower that produces heat for the district was 4.7% higher than if the Three-Step Tariffs Parliament. Therefore, it would be logical to heating network while drinking water is cooled Model had not been introduced. prioritize the easing of the bureaucratic burden 3-4 degrees before it is delivered to consumers. Another anomaly in the year's key figures on the water sector, which devotes considera- The use of wastewater and drinking water is that for the first time in many years, Danes ble resources to comply with documentation has been turbocharged to create electricity, used more water than the previous year. As is from authorities. If the tariffs are reasonable, gas and heat in the Danish water sector. There widely known, Denmark was hit by massive the targets are met, and water customers are is tremendous potential in the methods the drought in the summer of 2018. High evapo- satisfied, politicians should work to create a Danish water companies are using, which can ration rates meant that the Danes filled their less zealous, resource-dependent bureaucratic not only help meet Denmark's ambitious target swimming pools and watered their gardens system, which, after all, results in nothing but of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% more than usual. On the other hand, in 2017 higher costs and higher water prices. by 2030, but can also create a market-leading Danes broke the water conservation record, Water and wastewater are one of the most asset in the export market. using only 103 litres on average a day; in 2018 important foundations of our societal struc- The Danish water companies act on their that figure increased to 105 litres. ture. This responsibility will not decrease in the own accord to reach ambitious goals and pro- Denmark is the world leader in low water future. DANVA's benchmarking shows that the vide their core services at stable prices, which loss. 7.22% of drinking water did not reach water companies, with their targeted, efficient means that a household's water costs represent customers in 2017. That figure had increased management, fully meet the expectations of only 1.4% of an average household's annual to 8.05% in 2018. This increase can also be customers, authorities and regulators. DANVA and DANVA Benchmarking DANVA, the Danish Water and Wastewater Association, is Benchmarking and DANVA Statistics form the basis for the an industry organisation for drinking water and wastewater preparation of this publication. In total, 157 drinking water companies in Denmark. DANVA is a non-profit association, and wastewater companies have participated in the report- funded by its members and through commercial activities. ing to “Water in figures 2019”, with data from 2018. The DANVA has been offering benchmarking to its members for participating drinking water companies collectively supply almost 20 years. Benchmarking is a tool to provide an over- water to 60% of the Danish population. Collectively, the par- view of the company's performance and to identify areas ticipating wastewater companies receive and process water where efficiency can be improved. The reporting to DANVA from 80% of the Danish population. 2 WATER IN FIGURES 2019 WATER CONSUMPTION litres105 is the average amount of water a person uses Selected rules, national plans and reforms that per day in the household. have had an impact on the price and water consumption of a family: • 1987: Environmental Plan for Water I — the plan was intended to protect the aquatic environment, both groundwater and surface water. The Environmental Plan for Water gave rise to the need for major construction and Last summer's drought upgrading of wastewater treatment plants. • 1993: Tax on tap water (€ 0.67/m3 ) as well as a penalty tax for drinking water companies affected water consumption with a water loss of over 10% - Act No. 492 of 30/06/1993 (Ministry of Taxation). Since the introduction of the Environmental day. The calculation is based on 64 drinking • 1996: Tax for wastewater — Act No. 490 of Plan for Water I in 1987, average water con- water companies, which together serve 3.27 12/06/1996 (Ministry of Taxation). • 1996: Requirements for installation of wa- sumption in households has been constantly million inhabitants. ter meters — Executive Order No.525 of decreasing, though at a slightly lower rate in The graph lists some of the laws and regu- 14/06/1996 (Danish Ministry of Climate, En- ergy and Utilities). recent years. However, last summer's record lations which are believed to have influenced • 1998: Environmental Plan for Water II — the heat resulted in slightly higher water consump- the decrease in water consumption and price plan was mainly intended to reduce nitrogen tion per person per day in Danish households. trends. At first glance, it appears that it is the emissions. • 2004: Environmental Plan for Water III — fur- In 2017, the average consumption was 103 l/ Environmental Plan for Water I which, with ther reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus person/day, but due to last year's higher temper- increased environmental awareness among emissions. atures, consumption increased to 105 l/person/ consumers combined with an increase in waste- • 2007: Municipal reform — reduced the num- ber of municipalities from 271 to 98, resulting day. It was clear that more citizens chose to wa- water rates, has led to the decrease in water in a merger of many water utilities. ter the garden more than usual and that pools consumption. The introduction of a drinking • 2009: The Danish Water Sector Act — the were used frequently. 2018 was also a record water tax on tap water, which was initially separation of municipal water and wastewa- ter supply activities to municipally owned year for wildfires, which also affected water called the green 70 cents, meant that in the public limited companies (water compa- consumption for fire extinguishing purposes. period from 1994 to 1998 14 cents was added nies) and the introduction of price caps and efficiency requirements — Act No. 469 of The total water consumption in 2018 meas- to the tariff each year. During the same period, 12/06/2009 (Danish Ministry of Climate, En- ured in households, holiday homes, businesses, water consumption in the household decreased ergy and Utilities). institutions and water losses was on average by 10.5%. Water consumption in households • 2011: Introduction of drinking water contribu- 3 3 tions of 67 cents per square meter — Act No. 62.88 m per person/per year. Households ac- has decreased by 38% over the 31 years since 1384 of 28/12/2011 (Ministry of Taxation). counted for 66% of the total volume of water the implementation of Environmental Plan sold. An individual uses an average of 38.46 for Water I. m3 per year, corresponding to 105 litres per CONSUMPTION OF DRINKING WATER, 1976-2018 m3/person/year 140 Environmental Charge on Charge on Environmental Environmental Water plan for water I piped water emitted plan for water II plan for water III sector act waste 120 water from purication Requirement Municipal Contribution to plants for water reform the protection 100 meters of drinking water 80 60 40 20 0 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Households Holiday homes Business (industry) Institutions Waterloss (NRW) Since 2014, a new category “Holiday homes” has been introduced, which is included in household consumption figures.