Given the current economic climate and rising cost of living, it’s not surprising that businesses are looking across their supply chain to identify ways to make savings. While there has been a real focus on energy costs in recent months, using less water can help to reduce water and energy bills, support businesses’ sustainability plans and contribute towards the UK’s ambitious net zero targets.

Approximately 20% of a gas-heated home’s heating bill comes from the 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 leisure centres, the link between using less water and reducing energy bills becomes clear.

In the past 14 years we have helped our businesses across Scotland and England save more than 57 billion litres of water – the equivalent of almost 23,000 Olympic-sized filled swimming pools. And since being awarded the Scottish public sector framework contract in April 2020, we’ve delivered over £ 3 million in water savings for public sector customers.

So, how do you save that amount of water? There is a vast range of water efficiency devices and technology available, with Automatic Meter Readers (AMRs) being one of the most widely-used technologies.

Businesses can use AMR data to compare and benchmark their sites, forecast future costs and develop more in-depth water reduction plans. And by being able to see their water usage profile in granular 15-minute intervals, businesses can also pinpoint operations that may be inefficient in virtual real-time.  

Through the use of AMR technology, Network Rail was recently able to cut its carbon footprint by over 1.24kh per hour at its rail depot at Slateford Road in Edinburgh, saving over £100,000 in unnecessary water costs in the process. The readings picked up an irregular water usage pattern, at odds with the normal water use expected from a typical rail yard, which suggested the site could have a leak, or multiple leaks that required further investigation. By detecting the leak at an early stage, we were able to work quickly to resolve the issue and ensure that consumption levels returned to normal.

And it’s not just large companies adopting these measures. We have been working with individual public sector sites to help achieve similar results. This has included saving Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Oatridge Campus over £46,000 by pro-actively monitoring their water use through AMR technology while the College remained closed due to Covid-19 and saving two Glasgow-based primary schools over £54,000 in water charges, reducing the amount of water they used by an equivalent of 13 Olympic-sized swimming pools through our leak detection services.

Water is sometimes overlooked in comparison to other utilities but by reducing water use, businesses can lower their water and energy bills and, importantly, reduce their impact on the environment. Given current economic demands and the environmental imperative, it’s a good time for businesses to consider their water use as they look to generate savings and reduce the carbon footprint across their organisation. 

Stephen Sheridan is Head of Account Management, Business Stream