WATER EFFICIENCY: HELPING BUSINESSES TO DELIVER FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAVINGS

Using water efficiently can play an important role in supporting companies’ plans to achieving their net zero goals, in addition to helping to deliver financial savings. It’s estimated that the average business in the UK uses 30% more water than they need to and, as a water retailer, we’re passionate about working with businesses to help them realise the benefits of reducing their water use – both on their bottom line and the environment.

Over the past fourteen years we have helped our customers in the UK save over 57 billion litres of water – the equivalent of almost 23,000 Olympic-sized filled swimming pools.

One of the key benefits of reducing water use is that it can help to generate financial savings. By implementing simple steps, such as installing water saving devices and Automated Meter Readers (AMRs) or undertaking a water health check, organisations can see a direct impact to their bottom line. We recently helped Glasgow City Council save over £54,000 in unnecessary water charges by fixing leaks at two primary schools and we saved Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Oatridge Campus over £46,000 by pro-actively monitoring their water use during a period when the College was closed.

Reducing water use can also lower energy costs. For example, about 20% of a gas heated home’s heating bill comes from water used for showers, baths and the hot water tap. If you then consider the amount of hot water used in businesses, such as hotels, hospitals, gyms and large industrial sites, the link between using less water and reducing energy bills becomes clear.

This can also help to contribute towards the UK’s net zero target. Nearly 1% of the UK’s total carbon emissions comes from the essential operational emissions required by the water industry. This is because treating water is energy and chemical intensive – therefore the less it is used, the less treatment is required.

There is a strong case for reducing water use for environmental purposes too. You only need to reflect on the extreme weather conditions the country has experienced in recent years to understand that water is a precious resource that we need to look after. The impact of drier and hotter conditions in the UK is a concern and according to industry experts, this is only expected to get worse unless we all collectively seek to reduce our water use.

In line with our vision to make a positive difference to the environment, we have introduced a series of initiatives to help drive water efficiency. At the heart of this is our pledge to help our customers reduce their water use by up to 20%. To support the delivery of the pledge, we are working with our customers, in particular those that haven’t adopted water efficiency measures to date, to identify and deliver the right water efficiency solutions for their needs.

For larger users of water, we are developing our Intelligent Water Management (IWM) system, which enables us to analyse customers consumption data to identify anomalies and deliver water efficiency savings and for our smaller customers we have issued free water efficiency packs providing water saving devices, as well as launched our water efficiency hub on our website and online shop providing an easy way to purchase effective water saving devices.

To help spread awareness of the importance of this issue, we are also working in partnership with the NGO, Waterwise, the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK, to help promote water efficiency and conservation to business and public sector customers across the UK. As well as work at an industry-wide level with other UK water retailers and wholesalers to share best practice examples and explore how we can do even more as a sector to deliver water efficiency savings to customers.

We all have a role to play in reducing our water use and the benefits are clear to see. Climate change is no longer something we can afford to ignore and using water wisely is a simple way to make a positive difference. By reducing its water use businesses can help to protect what is becoming an increasingly scarce resource and generate financial savings. www.business-stream.co.uk