The role water efficiency plays in a greener Scotland: Here’s how your business can save water and money
Given the climate crisis, increasing costs and the need to protect what is fast becoming a precious resource, Stephen Sheridan, Head of Account Management at Business Stream shares his insights into what businesses can do to reduce water use - and benefit from financial and environmental savings.
The climate crisis has brought with it a new sense of urgency for businesses to act. From decarbonisation to resource efficiency, pressure is mounting from customers, investors, regulators and employees to demonstrate genuine progress - not just ambition.
Yet in the race to reduce emissions and support sustainability targets, there’s one area that often remains overlooked: water. It can be taken for granted. And in a country known for its rainfall, it doesn’t always feel like a pressing concern.
But the reality is quite different. The truth is water is a precious resource, and we are already facing shortage issues in the UK. And while water resources are a bigger issue in England, particularly the South of England, we’re starting to see water shortage issues impact Scotland too. In addition, we also know that the amount of energy used to treat, heat and re-heat water negatively impacts our energy emissions and subsequent net zero targets.
Against this backdrop, the need for water efficiency has never been clearer.
As a water retailer, we believe we have an important role to play in promoting this message and helping our customers to use less water. Most businesses are aware of the practical interventions that can be taken, such as installing water efficient devices and undertaking water audits. But there are other initiatives and solutions designed to help businesses achieve water efficiencies that are worth exploring.
For a start, technology in this space is rapidly evolving, which gives businesses the opportunity to truly understand their water use and identify savings. Last year, we launched Power BI Intelligent Water Management (IWM) reporting for our customers, giving them self-serve access to a suite of comprehensive reports for their sites. This new functionality enables us to analyse customers’ consumption data on a site-by-site basis to identify anomalies, send high consumption alerts, track the carbon impact of water use and realise opportunities to achieve water efficiency savings. All of this is then visually displayed for customers to see so they can take ownership of their water use.
And for those customers who are committed to embedding sustainability within the culture of their organisation, we’ve launched our Water Stewardship Programme, a UK-first initiative delivered in partnership with sustainability experts 20FIFTY Partners. The programme is designed to equip businesses with the knowledge, tools and support they need to understand their water use, identify opportunities to reduce it, and put in place practical strategies that drive change across their sites.
It’s a 12-week programme that combines group learning, one-to-one mentoring, and real-world action planning, with all participants receiving an accreditation on completion.
And it’s already delivering results. Businesses that took part in our pilot programme have reported improved efficiencies, greater engagement across their teams, and progress against their sustainability goals.
There are also funding opportunities available. For public sector organisations, for example, we offer a £100,000 annual Water Efficiency Fund, which organisations can apply for. This fund has already helped organisations like National Museums Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Edinburgh Council to roll out water-saving interventions, from installing water-efficient urinals and taps, to undertaking water audits across large estates.
Given the increasing focus on water scarcity and the on-going need for us all to address the climate crisis we’re facing, water efficiency is growing in importance. For businesses that are pro-active in this space, the benefits are clear - using less water is good for the environment, supports sustainability targets and, ultimately, reduces costs.
To find out more about how Business Stream can support your business to reduce water use and benefit from financial and environmental savings, please direct enquiries to [email protected]