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Row of bathroom sinks

Saving water as a business

Whatever your business, please think about the water you use. Fixing leaks and small changes to how you use water in the workplace can make a big difference to your bills. We've included some simple water saving advice below - and remember, if you can reduce the amount of hot water that your business uses this will help to reduce your energy bills too.

Find and fix leaks inside your business

Most leaks are relatively easy to find and most likely to be in toilets, urinals and taps. As you’re paying for all the water you use, finding and fixing leaks will reduce your bill and save money.

Here’s where to start

Toilets

Top of the list, as modern push button toilets just overflow into the bowl if the cistern is faulty. Just one leaky loo can waste up to an incredible 400 litres of water a day, that’s 146,000 a year, adding around £450 onto your water bill. The more toilets you fix, the more you will save.

Urinals

Uncontrolled urinals can waste hundreds of litres of water per hour. Using a control device can reduce water consumption by up to 70% by ensuring that flushing stops when the premises are not in use.

Taps

A dripping tap and showerhead will each waste around 5,500 litres of water a year.

If you do find and fix a leak, you may be eligible to claim back the cost of the water lost. You can read more here.

If you can’t find a leak, but suspect you have one, it may be worth contacting your water retailer to see if they offer a leak detection service.

Could you have a leaking outdoor supply pipe?

If your meter is located outside your premises and you’ve checked your internal plumbing for any leaks but found nothing, then you might have a leak on your outside supply pipe.

Find out more

Other ways to save water in your business

    • Introduce water saving information, an employee suggestion scheme or arrange a water efficiency session to increase awareness of the importance of using water wisely amongst your employees. 

    • Appoint one of your employees to be a water efficiency ambassador and ask them to work with your employees to identify all the ways that the business is currently wasting water and what improvements can be made.

    • Use a dishwasher instead of washing plates and mugs separately. Modern dishwashers tend to use a lot less water than hand washing.

    • Run a bowl of water rather than let it run to waste down the plug.

    • A water cooler will give employees direct access to cold water rather than having to run a tap.

    • Taps - dripping taps can waste a lot of water over time and result in higher bills. If your business has a lot of taps, ask employees to flag up when they spot a tap which is leaking and encourage everyone to turn off taps when not in use. When replacing taps, consider automatic sensor versions which switch on and off without the employee having to do this.

    • Hosepipes – many businesses use hosepipes for washing purposes. Make sure these hosepipes are switched off when not in use, otherwise money is simply running down the drain.

    • Urinal flushing - uncontrolled urinals can waste hundreds of litres per hour. If you’re replacing outdated equipment, using a control device can reduce water consumption by up to 70% by ensuring that flushing stops when the premises are not in use.

    • Toilet flushing - older toilets can use up to 10 litres of water per flush. If you have an older cistern, try a water saving device such as a ‘Save-a-Flush’ bag which helps to reduce the amount of water flushed away.

    • Leaking toilets – modern dual flush (button operated) toilets can leak due to sticky buttons or passing valves. This can waste over 250 litres an hour so check all toilets regularly for leaks and faulty cisterns.

    • Showers – if you provide shower facilities in your workplace consider using aerated showerheads which can help reduce water use by up to 50%.

    • Thousands of litres of water can be wasted every day on grounds maintenance particularly during the summer months. Remember, hosepipes and sprinklers use more water in one hour than a family of four will use in a day so please try to limit their use as much as possible. Restricting any watering during warmer weather to early or later in the day will help ensure water isn’t being lost to evaporation.

    • Water butts - consider collecting rainwater in a tank or butt and using it for watering plants and shrubs. When landscaping, try to select plants and shrubs that are tolerant of dry conditions.

     

    • Meters - find and regularly read your meters and sub meters. Make someone responsible for reading meters either weekly or monthly. A marked increase in water usage may indicate a leak so taking regular meter readings will help to spot this earlier.

    • Water Audits – larger companies my benefit from employing professional consultants to review your end to end use of water. Very often they will find and expose leaks in internal systems and can make recommendations to reduce wastage, reduce consumption and therefore reduce your overall bills for water and sewerage services. Your Retailer may offer these services, or may be able to advise on how to go about planning a water audit of your site.

You can also download our leaflet (PDF 1,735 KB opens in a new window) if you would prefer to print a copy of this guidance for your employees.