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When Leakage Hits Home: Why Reducing Water Loss Is Everyone’s Business

Introduction

In recent years, the UK government has turned up the pressure on water companies to get serious about leakage. Under its Plan for Water, major new targets require water firms to cut leaks  or face real financial consequences.

But this regulatory spotlight shouldn’t just concern utility companies. Commercial property owners and facility managers also have a critical role to play. Internal water loss, from inefficient flush systems, aging fittings, or lack of visibility, can quietly drive up bills, waste precious resources, and undermine sustainability goals.

Here’s how leakage reduction and accountability in infrastructure investment are reshaping the landscape and how businesses can act now, using real-world examples like bet365 to show what’s possible.

The Government’s Plan: Holding Water Companies to Account

The Plan for Water is the government’s integrated strategy to secure clean and plentiful water for people, businesses, and nature. A core plank of that strategy is tackling leakage: companies are now working to reduce leaks by 16% by 2025, 20% by 2027, and 30% by 2032.

Importantly, the plan isn’t just aspirational, there are financial penalties on the table. If companies miss the targets, regulators can impose larger fines, and those penalties will feed directly into a new Water Restoration Fund to help improve water quality and infrastructure.

This isn’t just about pipes in the ground. It’s about embedding accountability: ensuring that water loss hits the bottom line, and that environmental improvements are funded by those who fail to deliver.

Why Commercial Buildings Matter

While the regulatory focus is on water companies, businesses have a large part to play, especially when it comes to internal water loss. Here are a few key reasons:

• Hidden inefficiencies: Toilet flush systems, for instance, can leak or operate inefficiently, quietly using far more water than necessary.
• Lack of data: Without proper metering or monitoring, facility teams may not even know where water is being wasted.
• Sustainability goals: As companies embed net-zero or resource-efficiency targets, water loss becomes an easier target for quick gains.
• Cost savings: Reducing internal leaks not only lowers water usage but can reduce associated maintenance and operational costs.

A Real-World Win: bet365 and Smarter Flush Control

The case of bet365, at their UK Head Office in Stoke, is a great example of proactive leak (or water-loss) management.

• Their existing automated urinal control system was functional but not optimised, resulting in high water usage and limited visibility.
• To tackle this, Cistermiser worked with bet365 to trial a Direct Flush Discreet (DFD) unit fitted with pulse meters, allowing the facilities team to compare real-time water usage between upgraded and control blocks.
• The results were compelling: an 85% reduction in water usage in the DFD-upgraded block.
• After the success of the pilot, bet365 expanded the rollout with another 25 DFD units.
• This isn’t just environmentalism, it’s smart business. bet365 reduced water waste, lowered costs, and gained better operational insight.

How Your Business Can Respond

If you manage commercial property, facilities, or infrastructure, you don’t have to wait for regulators, there’s action you can take now:

1. Conduct a water-efficiency audit
   Start by mapping where water is used (and potentially lost) in your building: flush points, leaks, hidden drips.
2. Install smart controls / monitor usage
   Consider using advanced flush valves or sensor-based controllers (like Cistermiser’s DFD) plus pulse meters or flow sensors to get real data.
3. Set internal targets aligned with national goals
   Use the same benchmarks from the Plan for Water as your internal KPIs, e.g., aiming for percentage reductions within a time frame.
4. Act on the data
   Use the insights from monitoring to prioritise upgrades. If a particular toilet block or wing is using disproportionately more water, target that one first.
5. Make the business case
   Translate water savings into cost and carbon savings. Present ROI, not just “green credentials,” to decision-makers.
6. Report and communicate
   Share your progress (internally and externally) to show accountability and align with broader sustainability reporting (ESG).

Conclusion

The Plan for Water is raising the stakes for water companies and making it clear that accountability and leakage reduction are now central to the UK’s water strategy.

But businesses have a powerful role too. As the bet365 case study shows, internal water loss can be dramatically reduced with smart interventions, delivering both environmental and financial wins.

The message is simple: don’t wait for regulation to force change, act now. By investing in leak detection, smart flushing, and monitoring, you’ll be ahead of the curve, saving water and costs while contributing to a more sustainable water future.

To learn more about how Cistermiser can help you achieve water and energy efficiency across your projects, visit www.cistermiser.co.uk.