This week is Water Saving Week. Led by Waterwise, the UK’s leading independent voice for water efficiency, this annual, national campaign aims to share top tips on how you can reduce your water usage and why it’s important to do so.

As market operator, we have a duty of care, working alongside our members, to protect our water resources. As the custodian of central market data, we are in the unique position at the heart of the market, to share data insight that can inform better and more targeted decisions around water consumption.

From 15-19 May we will be sharing more of this insight and the important role that the non-household market can play in reducing our water demand and impact on the environment.

Following Waterwise’s daily theme (see below), we will be sharing important information on how non-household water plays a role in all our daily lives, as well as our society, and is crucial to our environment and our economy.

Take a look at the daily themes and our insight below:

Monday: Water and money

Tuesday: Water and the environment

Wednesday: Water and everyday life

Thursday: Embedded water

Friday: Water and hygiene

Metering Monday: Water and Money 

Could you say how much water your business uses? Or how much it costs? No? You’re not alone. Given how cheap water is compared to other costs such as energy, it is often overlooked as an area to save money and help the environment at the same time. However, this needs to change – as does our perception of water (a limited resource!) and what we use.

Thanks to smart meters we now know that around a quarter of all water used by non-household customers is running continuously – which can indicate a leak or uncontrolled use, usually from taps and leaky loos.

Understanding how much water you use, taking steps to reduce your consumption, and making sure you’re not paying for leaking water could save your business thousands and help your water company ensure you always have the water you need. So make sure you have a water meter and speak to your water retailer about the water efficiency advice and devices they can offer.

For more information visit: Metering Dashboards and Metering maps ; Proportion of metered SPIDs by wholesaler ; Remote reads by postal sector; Meter dashboard

Tuesday – Water and the environment 

With unprecedented 40c temperatures and record demand for water in 2022, restrictions on water use were put in place across the country. But did you know the restrictions in place in each area and whether your business was operating in a water stressed zone?

In response to last summer’s prolonged droughts, we created a Drought Restriction Map that allows users to search drought restriction statuses. We also created a Drought Restriction Dashboard that provides a summary of non-household supply points and non-household water consumption by restriction status.

The dashboards and map aim to provide a national view of drought restrictions to support wholesaler-retailer collaboration in reducing demand where it is most needed.

Not only does this support a consistent responses during future drought situations but can help better manage demand and ensure a continual supply of water for households as well as businesses.

For more information: https://mosl.co.uk/news-and-events/news/mosl-publishes-drought-restriction-dashboard-and-map

Wednesday – Water in everyday life 

How many of us take for granted the water we use at home? Whether it’s having a shower, running the dishwasher, or just cleaning our teeth. But do you stop to think about the water you consume outside of the home too? It could be using the shower at the gym or eating out at a restaurant. We are all users of non-household water as part of our everyday lives.

Did you know, for example, that schools use around 12 billion litres of water per day, spending more than £40 million on water bills each year?

We overlaid our central market data with Department for Education (DfE) data to understand school water usage, costs, and carbon footprint of water on a per pupil basis. This gives the DfE and schools much better insight and helps them make the case for investing in water saving. On the back of this, we are looking to develop a national model to benchmark water usage across sectors to support the Government’s target to reduce business water use by nine per cent by 2038.

For more information: https://mosl.co.uk/chart/chartitems/school-benchmark-dashboard

Thursday – Embedded water

Water is critical to the manufacturing of products we buy, food we eat and services we use. Without water – we would face supply demand challenges; food shortages and our businesses would run to a stop. As an example, do you ever think about the clothes you are wearing and how much water it takes to make them?

Worldwide, fashion and its supply chain is the third largest polluting industry, after food and construction. It’s responsible for 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, more than the shipping and the aviation industry combined.

But did you know that fashion’s carbon footprint is closely aligned to its water footprint?

In recognition of Earth Day on 22 April, we joined forces with Institute of Water to host a webinar on the Fashion Industry and Water Efficiency. Academic and commercial experts shared how unsustainable fashion practices take a toll on our water resources and how consumer choices to reduce, reuse, or recycle our clothing and other materials can make a massive difference.

For more information watch the Sew What Webinar.

Friday – Water and hygiene

Did you know that most business customers use water just like households – for preparing food, washing, and flushing toilets? And that nearly 85% of non-household customers use the same or less water than the average household?

Whether you’re a brewer, a bakery or an office, when the water stops, so does the business – because it is no longer sanitary. Which is why anything more than a temporary interruption can quickly escalate into a business issue.

At MOSL we’re working with retailers and wholesalers to get better data on where, when, and how non-household customers are using water, so we can help them become more efficient, save money, and save water whilst still running their businesses safely. This can support the non-household market looking at water efficiency offerings for customers such as on-site water saving solutions, greywater use and rainwater harvesting.

This Waterwise Water Saving Week, have a think about water and hygiene and what you can do to save money and save water.