What can your business do to save money on water bills?

In the current climate of rising utility bills, businesses of all sizes are looking for ways of saving resources in order to save money. When it comes to water, the good news is that there’s a lot your business can do to save money on water bills whilst reaching your sustainability targets.

Switch your business water supplier

The most immediate way of saving money on your water bill is to switch your business water supplier - with Castle Water you could save up to 80% on your fixed water charges. When you switch, make sure you choose a supplier that offers convenient services that will benefit your business; for example: consolidated billing, leak detection and Automatic Meter Reading, or the promise that you will only ever be charged for the water you use. As an indication of the kind of immediate savings your business could make, in 2021 the Focus Academy Trust saved £7,500 a year by switching to Castle Water.

Monitor your meter readings

One extremely cost-effective way of saving potentially thousands of pounds on your water bills is to keep monitoring your meter readings. By taking regular readings, you can calculate your company’s normal water usage. This can help track your water efficiency measures and indicate any unexpected surge in usage, which may indicate a leak on your premises. The earlier you discover a leak, the sooner you can fix it and the less water you’ll waste. As an example, Swindon Borough Council was able to identify a major leak as a result of the disparity between the water it was expecting to use and the amount of water it actually was using. Through early intervention to mend the leak, the Council estimated it saved £250,000 a year on water it wasn’t even using.

Carry out a water audit

A water efficiency audit takes a tailored approach to help you save water. It will look at your business’s current water usage as well as taking into account any business goals that will have an impact on future water usage. The audit will identify weak points, highlight areas for improvement, and make recommendations about the different technologies available that will help you lower your water usage.

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Not all water needs to be potable

Not all the water your business uses needs to be potable - i.e. water that’s safe to drink. Which means you can save a lot of money by reusing water that’s clean enough - grey water - as well as harvesting and using rainwater in situations where potable water isn’t required.

Grey water is the water that’s collected from sinks, showers, dishwashers and washing machines. Instead of being flushed directly into the drainage system, it’s diverted to cisterns to be used to flush toilets, or to outside taps where it can be used to wash vehicles or water grounds. There are two advantages to grey water recycling - firstly, you’re using your water twice, but you only pay once for the clean water. And secondly, you’re saving money on your wastewater charges by not flushing as much water as before.

Rainwater is harvested from the roofs of your commercial buildings and diverted into storage tanks where it is filtered and stored until needed. You can use rainwater to water grounds, wash vehicles and pathways, and flush toilets. You can even use it for your laundry and in your fire sprinkler systems.

If you would like to find out more about water saving measures for your business, download our free Water Efficiency Guide.

Castle Water provides a range of services including trade effluent expertise, wastewater management & water efficiency audits. Get in touch today.