Leaks and blocked pipes are increasing in homes. In 2023, their repairs generated an additional cost of 95 million euros.
Sometimes rare, but always essential, water is still too often wasted. Which costs the French dearly! Thus, according to a study carried out by Ista, a specialist in the management and individualization of water and energy consumption in collective housing, across the whole of France, leaks in housing, estimated at 13 million, would have led to the loss of 20 million cubic meters (m3) of water last year, the equivalent of 7,987 Olympic swimming pools. Above all, they would have resulted in an additional cost of 95 million euros for the French budget.
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To provide this estimate, the company analyzed data from a sample of 1.2 million apartments, 30% from the public sector and 70% from private co-ownerships: 953,491 leaks were detected in 2023, or 1.4 million m3 of wasted water (or 560 Olympic swimming pools), at a cost of an additional €6.8 million on the bill.
Thousands of euros in repairs
With large differences from case to case: “A water leak lasts eight days on average because we detect them quickly with telemetry devices, explains Laurent Sireix, president of Ista. But for homes that are not equipped, they can last several weeks or even several months.” Especially since “80% of leaks are insidious, sometimes intermittent when it is, for example, a drip due to a defective seal on a tap.”
Homeowners are not necessarily better off. According to a survey conducted by the services company HomeServe, 66% of homeowners surveyed have seen an increase in the frequency of repairs on private underground pipes due to droughts..
“Due to ground movements linked to the swelling and shrinkage of soils, we are seeing 20% more interventions between June and September.[…]
- challenges.fr
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