This is undeniably great news – and testament to the fact that customers and business leaders alike are becoming far more attuned to the need for us all to be doing more in this space and driving positive change for the environment and society as a whole.
A skim of any large business’s ESG (environment and social governance) credentials or corporate newsfeed will be reflective of this – with countless initiatives underway to cut and offset emissions, improve supply chain traceability, adopt electric vehicle schemes and reduce paper use.
What is less visible however, are measurable strategies for minimising water use and wastage – whether that is actions to help change employee behaviours or a commitment to investing capital in solutions that reduce reliance on water and the vast infrastructure required to supply and support it. There are a few reasons that help to explain this.
The first challenge is simply awareness. Water is so ubiquitous, so every day, that most of us don’t give much thought to what is required to get it to our taps or our businesses in the first place – let alone the energy and effort required to extract, treat, distribute, heat, and re-treat it, which contributes millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
And even when water is considered, it can be hard to contemplate water scarcity issues when we regularly experience rainfall across the UK. The reality however is that we are already facing water shortages and seeing the impact of that through the drought measures that have been implemented in recent years.
Another perception is that we can’t easily, or dramatically, reduce and track the changes we make. It’s not quite like swapping plane journeys for trains and being able to calculate the carbon saved.
The reality is however now quite different due to innovative technologies such as automatic meter readers (AMRs), which are helping businesses big and small achieve significant financial and environmental savings.
Beyond leak detection, AMR data can inform long-term water conservation strategies by identifying inefficient processes, equipment, or behavioural patterns contributing to excessive consumption. This insight enables targeted interventions, such as equipment upgrades, process improvements, or user awareness campaigns, to curtail waste and enhance overall water efficiency.
And it’s not just large businesses that benefit. By understanding water consumption through regular maintenance checks, small to medium sized businesses can also identify leaks before they escalate and drive down costs through the use of simple and often inexpensive water efficiency interventions.
By tapping into the power of AMRs, data analytics, and installing water-saving technologies, businesses can realise substantial cost savings while demonstrating their commitment to reducing their environmental impact and contributing to national net zero targets.
The need for us to all play a part in tackling the climate emergency is intensifying. Understanding and reducing your water use is a vital part to any business’ environmental strategy – so if you haven’t already, I’d really encourage you to consider the impact it can have on both your bottom line and sustainable business goals.
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