All businesses depend on water, whether you're using it to power your operations or simply for your staff and customers.
With our changing climate, using water wisely isn't just about protecting our environment—it’s also about protecting your bottom line. By making a few small changes, you can lower your water bills and reduce the energy needed to heat water, all without affecting your day-to-day work.
Tap into wasted water
A dripping tap might not seem like much, but it can waste up to 5,000 litres of water a year! Fixing a dripping tap is a quick and easy way to save water in your business.
Sneaky leaky loos
A sneaky leaky loo (or two!) can be costing you as much as 4 baths of water a day each. Order FREE LeakyLoo™ detection strips from us here, to check if your loos might have a leak.
Implement a water-saving policy
Encourage staff to think about how much water they use at work. Simple changes like turning off taps fully and telling you about leaks will make a big difference.
Updates about your water supply
The amount of water that people use each day changes depending on the weather, which can impact businesses. We usually supply around 544 million litres of water a day. In the summer months, this can go up to over 600 million litres a day.
Why your help matters
The much needed rainfall we’ve had over the last few months means we’re now able to remove all Temporary Use Ban (TUB) restrictions. This includes the additional restrictions in place in Sussex, that may have impacted some business customers.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time. We appreciate that such restrictions impact daily operations and we are grateful for your support in protecting our local water resources.
Why are we only lifting them now?
The restrictions were necessary for so long due to the exceptional weather we experienced last year. England had the driest spring since 1893, followed by the hottest summer on record, and four major heatwaves. Our water resources felt the impact of this.
While reservoirs can fill relatively quickly from river flows, our groundwater sources take much longer to recharge as water must filter deep into the underground aquifers. Following the record-breaking dry and hot weather last year, we took a cautious approach to ensure these vital resources had fully recovered before removing the restrictions.
Water levels in our reservoirs and groundwater sources have returned to normal levels following the rainfall we received over winter.
What simple changes can you make?
Although restrictions are lifted, the weather continues to have a massive impact on our water resources, and long-range forecasts remain uncertain for what the weather will bring later in the year. We encourage all businesses and non-households to continue using water wisely to conserve resources, help protect the environment and reduce operational costs.
Simple water-saving tips for businesses include:
- Monitoring Usage: Regularly check water meters to establish a "normal" baseline and quickly identify any unusual spikes that may indicate a leak.
- Fixing Leaky Loos: A single leaking toilet can waste up to 400 litres of water a day; regularly check cisterns for silent leaks into the bowl.
- Upgrading Fixtures: Consider installing tap aerators, self-closing/sensor taps, or waterless urinals to significantly reduce water waste in washrooms.
- Staff Awareness: Engage employees by sharing water-saving tips and encouraging them to report drips or leaks immediately.
- Efficient Processes: Only run dishwashers or glasswashers with full loads and use "ECO" modes where available.
For more water-saving tips, have a look here.
What are we doing to save water?
Leakage Reduction and Infrastructure:
We’re investing nearly £40 million annually into managing and reducing water leaks. To support this, we’ve increased the number of field teams dedicated to finding and fixing leaks, alongside technicians who proactively search the network for issues. These efforts resulted in over 18,000 network leak repairs last year—a 12 per cent increase over the three-year average—plus an additional 6,000 repairs on customer-side pipes. Furthermore, investments in new detection technology and digitised processes have improved network visibility and increased overall operational efficiency.
Smart Meter Rollout:
Beginning in January 2026, we started upgrading meters across the network to prepare for smart meter technology. While this rollout will take time to complete, customers will be contacted directly when the upgrades reach their specific area. This technology is designed to ensure a sustainable water supply by allowing customers to measure their usage more easily and detect leaks earlier.
Strategic Partnerships:
We collaborate with various partners to conserve water at every level of the community:
- Agricultural Support - We work with farmers to protect water quality and quantity at the source through initiatives like planting cover crops and installing rainwater harvesting systems.
- Customer Savings - A long-standing partnership with Save Water Save Money(opens in a new tab) allows all customers to order free water-saving devices.
- Education Sector: A specialist company is currently offering local schools free water-saving visits, which include leak repairs, device installations, and efficiency reporting.
