Anglian Water launches ‘The House with the Woolly Hat’ campaign

‘The House with the Woolly Hat’ campaign aims to educate householders on the benefits of insulating pipes, preventing bursts and leaks when the weather turns colds.

Paul Valleley, Anglian Water’s director of water services, said: “2012 was a year of unpredictable weather and being ready is definitely preferable to being caught out. We’ve gone from drought to flooding, both of which had a huge impact on us. It’s impossible to know what winter will throw at us after that. We think the best thing we can do is to be ready for whatever comes around the corner. We’re doing our bit, and we’re asking our customers to do the same. If you want to make sure this January isn’t a damp one, you need to wrap your water pipes first, to prevent the bursts and leaks that sub-zero temperatures bring.

“The ‘House with the Woolly Hat’ will remind customers that it’s important to protect against bursts and leaks, to save water all year round. Customers often forget about the importance of water saving in winter, with most admitting that they don’t spend much time looking after every drop when temperatures plummet and it starts to rain. In winters gone by we’ve had a torrent of calls from customers with frozen pipes, and they don’t know what to do about it. Because we’re not responsible for pipes in people’s homes it’s hard for us to help – and that’s understandably very frustrating for customers. That’s why we’re getting out there now, making it easy for customers to help themselves. Cheap prevention is definitely better than costly repairs when it comes to bursts and leaks.”

Sustainable behaviour change agency Corporate Culture is helping with the campaign, as part of Anglian Water’s wider Drop 20 initiative to encourage everyone to use 20 litres less water every day, all year round.