If Wasting water were liquid gold, there wouldn’t be a dodgy tap anywhere in sight, letting it drip down the drain. And yet, many businesses are happy to watch money get taken away every month from mismanaging water bills. At times like these, keeping bills as low as possible, especially when you might have staff working from home, needs looking at with care and attention. And contrary to what you may think, it is quite easy to figure out if your business could be saving on water bills.
Thanks to advice from Castle Water, a leading water supplier in London who help businesses throughout the capital with their water services, here are some of the primary areas to investigate and check if you can start saving more on water bills.
Waste(water) Not, Want Not
Let’s start with what would be considered the fee on every water bill hiding in plain sight; wastewater charges. I think everyone at some point has had a run-in with their domestic water providers over wastewater charges (If you never have, I am sorry you’ve just realised this for the first time).
Wastewater charges are traditionally calculated from a fixed fee based on previous usage. Depending on which provider you’re with, that rate will either simply increase with inflation or remain static as you enter a new year on your billing cycle. Why would it matter much for any business? Well, how busy have you been since some working from home became the new normal? Many businesses are seeing electric, and heating bills go down, but would be none the wiser that wastewater is holding strong.
If you know for a fact that your business’s wastewater levels have dropped in the last year, talk to your water supplier immediately and ask them what changes they’ll make. If they don’t budge, time to make a few calls from other suppliers – after all, businesses in the UK are all part of the Open Water market.
Your internal system needs checking
One more hidden advantage for businesses with less staff present is the ability to have maintenance works done. You may have refurbished a few offices or given the place a fresh lick of paint. Now is time to get someone in to check if your pipes are up to scratch. Get in touch with your supplier and ask if they’ll help source a local agent who can assist with a water audit.
A typical audit won’t just look for leaks and drips. They’ll analyse how water enters, is used and leaves your premises before providing tips on how to reduce water usage. You can then get back in touch with your supplier for further assistance, or (harkening back to wastewater) that changes in your billings must be made.
Your meter is like an old phone
Remember when phoning something meant lifting a phone and having to turn a rotary dial for each number? It would seem entirely archaic to do the same in this day and age, and yet many businesses in London still sit with old water meters ticking away. A big reason for this is due to high turnover in commercial areas, especially if you’re operating from a location where there have been many commercial tenants throughout the years.
You may be sensing a theme here, but ask your supplier if they will have someone look at your water meter and help with any potential upgrades. It may seem like an inconvenience, but if you pay bills based on an estimated rate, it is almost a certainty you are paying too much.
These are just a few simple ways any business can save money on water bills, especially when your building may be quiet just now. Don’t forget, you can get more tips for improving internal operations by checking out the latest blog posts.
