The toilets, devised by Phoenix Product Development, are currently being trialled by Greenwich Council and utilise an innovative displaced air flushing system which have been shown to require one sixth of the water needed by conventional models.
The WCs have already been trialled at the offices of the Water Research Centre to monitor their performance and water consumption as well as user reaction. The results were outstanding, with the prototypes recording just 1.35 litres per flush, against the 9.2 litres used by the toilets they replaced. The Water Research Centre calculated that this saved them 1.2p each time the toilets were flushed, and could save some users around £250 per year. More than 93% of users also rated the prototypes’ performance as ‘good.’
The Propelair system looks like a conventional toilet and is used in the same way. It has a sealable lid that allows air to force waste and a small amount of water from the bowl, giving improved flushing and drainage performance. The system generates its own air, requires no ancillary equipment and connects to existing plumbing, but can also connect via flexible waste-pipes for awkward installations if required
Phoenix is currently talking to investors with a view to putting the Propelair system into production.
Garry Moore, Managing Director of Phoenix Product Development Ltd said of the launch: “We believe that technologies such as Propelair offer a far more cost-effective and easily deployable solution to water shortages than major capital investment in new water supply facilities. We are speaking to a number of interested parties, with a view to generating additional investment into the business ahead of a full scale commercial launch. It’s an incredibly exciting time.”
Councillor Rajwant Sidhu, Greenwich Council's cabinet member for Greener Greenwich said, "Greenwich Council has a strong commitment to energy-saving and water-saving and we are happy to be working in partnership with Phoenix to trial this prototype. It's early days, but the system seems to be working well so far, and staff are interested in whether it'll help save water. We'll be working with the company to help monitor the trial so that they can learn valuable lessons about how effective the toilets are in a busy workplace."
The toilets are currently being trialled in Greenwich Council’s Birchmere depot in Thamesmead, South East London
