The hidden costs of water waste: what businesses often overlook
31st October 2025
It’s a phrase as old as the hills but rarely applied in the modern world: “there is great value in economy.”
Put differently, keep a close eye on your costs.
Far too many businesses are paying more for their utilities than they need to, simply because they do not check pricing from across the market or pay close enough attention to their usage.
In particular, water is a utility often overlooked when it comes to business water price comparison. While organisations are familiar with shopping around for broadband or energy contracts and implementing energy saving processes, there are still many companies in the UK not aware that moving suppliers is possible or that waste is affecting their bottom line.
When we consider that even a single leaking toilet can waste as much as 400 litres a day, the scale of water waste on commercial premises quickly comes into sharper focus
What are the indirect costs incurred from wasted water?
It’s common knowledge that we lose billions of litres of water everyday due to leaks. According to Ofwat, around 20% of water running through pipes is lost to leakage.
Whilst the regulator expects water suppliers to up their game to reduce the extent of leakage, businesses have a role to play, too. And they can increase efficiency and profitability by doing so too.
When you think of the way manufacturing firms operate for example, undetected leaks in their water systems can quickly damage equipment or put production lines out of action altogether. It’s expensive to rectify both in terms or maintenance and downtime – and the latter will undoubtedly inconvenience and infuriate customers and suppliers.
Another key factor is excessive water usage due to inefficient business processes. An organisation may not know exactly how much water is being consumed during the manufacturing process or day-to-day business practices, but in many cases there are opportunities to conserve water through small but meaningful improvements.
Monitoring water consumption and behavioural change to cut hidden expenses
If you want to minimise excess water consumption and ensure your business is using water efficiently, an audit is the best place to start.
Water consumption should really be factored in to your business strategies as a matter of course, whether you’re running a restaurant or a manufacturing plant.
That all begins with knowing exactly how much water you use, and when and how you use it. The more accurately you can monitor and calculate water usage, the easier it becomes to identify ways of making savings – and identify anomalies that indicate a potential leak.
Allied to that is the ability to instil a water saving culture in your business. If your teams and employees recognise the value of the water you are using – and understand the cost implications too – they will get into good habits. You can also incentivise them to come up with ideas for reducing water waste.
Get in touch with Everflow today to see how we can help lower your water bills through competitive pricing and water conservation practices.
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At Everflow, our goal is to make your utilities simpler. We ensure you get great-value contracts that are tailored to your needs and easy to manage.
