Check-in on your business water – to cut energy and running costs at your hospitality site
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Water-saving can cut running costs, save energy, where less hot water’s used, or moved – and cut carbon emissions. Getting started is easy – and water efficiency actions don’t need to cost the earth.
Though water can be a forgotten utility, looking closer at what water’s used where and when has helped hospitality venues – amongst other sites – make savings.
Jenny Owen, a Key Account Manager at Water Plus, works closely with a range of business customers, including hotel and pub chains.
Jenny shares her top tips below, on the small steps with water that can deliver big results and cut bills – that are worth keeping in mind during peak season and beyond.
Savings being seen at hospitality sites
Hotels, caterers, cafes, bars, restaurants and pubs saw water-savings, as part of work with Water Plus.
It saw a 32% average water-saving *, in 2023, from water-saving steps including water efficient taps and aerators, flow controllers, flush-savers, urinal controllers and water efficient showerheads for hotels.
A pub saw a 43.6% water-saving, a hotel saw a 20.6% water-saving – and another hotel saw a 30.8% water-saving.
Saving water earlier in the year and stopping any leaks, or dripping taps – at hospitality sites – keeps running costs down and can also help water supplies when it gets to the summer months too, keeping water flowing for everyone and reducing any hot weather impacts on businesses.
There are carbon emissions linked to all water used at businesses, so reducing water used, cuts carbon too. Where less water is heated, or moved, at a site, then there are energy savings too.
* Average water-saving across 60 sites in England, in 2023, tracked through water meter readings before and after water efficiency kit installed. A UK Customer Satisfaction Award was won for Sustainable Customer Service in March 2023.
Taking a closer look at water being used, is worth the time
In April this year, our team highlighted water usage to a 40-seat restaurant, after meter readings showed 1,000m3 (cubic metres) of water was used in a year – that’s 1 million litres of water – or 12,500 bathtubs, holding 80 litres of water each.
Our team advised the new restaurant owner to speak to the landlord and any flat occupants in the building to see if there were additional water meters on site, or whether the business water meter was supplying flat renters and the business. Our team also advised the owner keep a lookout for any signs of water leaks at the business.
Jenny is also working with a larger hospitality chain this year around water consumption analysis and working to identify areas for water efficiency, after helping with a site portfolio review last year. She is also working with other larger sites around extra tracking options and technology to see and analyse daily water use.
Things to keep in mind
- 1
Understand your business water system
take a closer look at how much water you use during the year, note meter reads regularly, if the meter is safe to access, to spot any issues early. Carry out regular checks to spot dripping taps and other things that need attention, to prevent future issues and further costs. Meter readings can be submitted online – at a time that suits your business on MyAccount for Water Plus customers.
- 2
Know where the stop taps are
and make sure staff and facility managers can find them – and turn them off, when needed. It’s worth checking during a year – as part of maintenance routines – that stops taps are in working order and haven’t seized up.
- 3
Help avoid pipe blockages on-site
that could interrupt what your food service business does – or what your hospitality venue, or hotel does – by reminders to staff on cleaning equipment and installing correctly sized equipment to prevent the discharge of fat, oil and grease into drains.
Make sure all fat, oil and grease is removed from equipment, collected in a suitable container and disposed of by a licensed waste contractor, licensed by the Environment Agency. A disposal record must also be kept and available on request.
- 4
Follow any relevant laws for your site
including ones in 2024 around fats, oil and grease (also known as FOG).
How Water Plus can help
From getting a great deal on your business water, expert advice to improve water and effluent efficiencies and extra water tracking options – to boosting water-saving through taps and other actions to take at sites, our team can take you – and your business forward to a water efficient future.
Water Plus is a multi-award winner for its work- including being the only water retailer to have won a UK Customer Satisfaction Award, in 2023, two Global Golds for Water Management in the Green World Environment Awards 2024 and 2023, along with nine Green Apple Environment Awards.
Partner with an experienced award-winning team, who’ve helped hospitality venues of all sizes manage their water more efficiently and effectively, cutting energy use, carbon emissions and costs – delivering a 34.6% average water-saving*, including for hotels, restaurants, a caterer, pubs and cafes.
To partner with Water Plus, email [email protected].
