How to Play...

• Island Game Introduction
• Build a Pipe Network
• Drought Quiz
• Water in the House
• Flood Quiz
• Sewer Game
• Oil Spill Quiz
• Oil Clean-up Game

Main Content

Water in the House

The drought is over, but water levels in the loch are still very low.

Though you have modernised the Clean Water and Waste Water Pipe networks, the houses in the village are still wasting too much water.

That is because the houses are fitted with old Victorian sinks, baths and toilets which use more water than is needed. You need to choose new fittings that will make the houses more water efficient.

Play the The House Game to save everyone money and help stop future water shortages.

Saving Water

Old fashioned houses use more water than they need.
The reason for this is that they were designed when the amount of water used was not important and the designers were more interested in the shape and not the amount of water it used.

Today designers not only design beautiful sinks and showers, but also think a lot about water efficiency. There are computers to help the designers and new materials to work with.

Though many people in Scotland still live in houses built during Victorian times, there are still lots of things householders can do to make houses more water efficient.

In the Garden

Watering the garden with a sprinkler system can use up to 9 litres of clean water every minute. If a barrel or water butt is fitted to the drainpipe it will collect rain water from the roof. This simple piece of equipment saves money and makes sure that people have water for their garden even during a drought.
Washing a car with a bucket uses much less water than a hose.

Water Tank

All bathroom fittings work best when the water pressure is high.
The best way to make sure that water pressure is high is to put the water tank at the highest point of the house - in the attic or loft.

Bathroom Fittings

Washing is very important. But different methods of washing use different amounts of water:

• Bath - 80 litres
• Shower - 30 litres
• Power shower - 80 litres

If you fit a shower instead of a bath a family of four could save a thousand litres of water every week!

Baths and power showers also use more heat, so when you fit a shower you also save on gas or electricity.

• Large sink - 7 litres
• Medium sink - 5 litres
• Small sink - 3 litres

Sinks often look the same size, but some are deeper or wider and use much more water. It is important to choose the most water efficient.

Old fashioned toilets had a different shape which meant they needed to use more water to flush. Fitting modern water efficient toilets saves thousands of litres of water every year:

• Old toilet - 9.5 litres
• Modern toilet - 6 litres
• Water efficient toilet - 3.5 litres

Kitchens

When people did all the washing up in the sink, sinks needed to be bigger. Now people use dishwashers, sinks can be made much smaller.

• Large sink - 7 litres
• Medium sink - 5 litres
• Small sink - 3 litres

The size and type of tap you use can also effect water and fuel efficiency. Spray taps are more efficient than normal taps for rinsing dishes, and aerating taps are even better.

Controls

The House Game is a water efficiency game with eight stages. First you need to place the stopcock and the water tank in the right place, then fit all the houses in the village with the most economic water-saving fixtures and fittings, including:

1. Bath or shower
2. Taps
3. Toilet
4. Washing machine
5. Wash basin

The different fittings all have a different price tag and a different efficiency rating. The more efficient items use less electricity and water, which means they cost less to run each year. Choose the fitting you wish to use and drag and drop it into one of the possible positions marked on the house.

When you have positioned the fittings, more items and new positions will appear. Keep your eye on the box at the top right of the screen for more tips, your score and how much time you have left.

Your score will be calculated according to the following:

• whether you place the fittings in the correct positions
• the total cost to buy the fittings and run them over the next ten years.

Avoiding Burst Pipes

For bonus points, you will be asked to choose from one of three lagging options. Lagging keeps the house warm and stops pipes from freezing and bursting when the weather is cold.

Bonus points will also be given for finishing within the time limit.