If your business is using water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it’s known as continuous flow. For some businesses it’s a necessity to use water continuously, but if that’s not the case for you, discovering continuous flow at your site could come as a surprise.
Getting smart about continuous flow
Businesses account for a third of all the water used in the UK, and it’s estimated that about 25% of that consumption is continuous. Often continuous flow indicates a leak somewhere on the premises so it’s easy to see why it’s such a key focus area.
Some Wholesalers have already begun their smart meter installation to help combat leakage and excess consumption, and others will follow over the next 5-10 years. If you don’t currently have a smart meter, it’s only a matter of time before you will. Smart meters will provide more detailed and precise data on the way you use water, making it easier to detect anything unusual like an unexpected spike in usage or continuous flow. Your Wholesaler and Retailer will receive the data at regular intervals, so they’ll be able to alert you if your business is using water 24/7.
Why tackling excess consumption is important
Addressing any potential water wastage is important not only for the environment and the future of our supply, but also to drive your costs down, keep your bills as accurate as possible and contribute towards Defra’s 9% water saving target for businesses by 2038.
It’s also possible that your Wholesaler will take action if you don’t investigate unusually high consumption, which could result in a cost. Under Section 75 of the Water Industry Act 1991, Wholesalers are obligated to make sure there’s enough water to go round and that includes ensuring customers don’t intentionally or unintentionally waste water. That means if you don’t address your continuous flow, they may still repair any leaks themselves if necessary, and charge the costs back to you. It’s best to be proactive so you can drive efficiency and avoid wasting water and money where you can.
What you can do to address continuous flow
If you already have a smart meter and receive a continuous flow alert either from your Wholesaler or your Retailer, it’s important to take action as soon as you can.
These are our recommended next steps if you identify continuous flow:
- Complete a leak and flow test: excess usage could be an indication that there’s a leak at your site. A leak and flow test will help you investigate and narrow down the location of the issue so it’s easier to find and fix.
- If you have a leak: Reach out to us if it’s something you need help with. We offer leakage detection and repair services, depending on what you need.
- Feedback your findings: If you do use water continuously and there’s no need to take action, let your Wholesaler and Retailer know using the details in the alert. This’ll ensure you won’t get unnecessary alerts in the future.
If you don’t currently have a smart meter, there are still steps you can take to identify and investigate continuous flow:
- Monitor your usage after business hours: Take a manual meter read when you close your site and again just before you open, or any time you don’t expect to use water. If you find the dials have moved, it’s an indication water is being wasted somewhere and you can then follow the above instructions to investigate.
- Invest in an Automatic Meter Reader (AMR): You might not want to wait until your smart meter is installed. If you’d like to get ahead of the curve and start saving water and money now, get in touch with us and we’ll talk you through the benefits of installing an AMR on your premises. This’ll give you the same granular data as a smart meter, so you can monitor, track and understand your usage. We have options available to suit your business.
In this uncertain financial climate, you’ll want to be smart about your utilities and avoid spending money on water that’s potentially being wasted. Tackling continuous flow is the simplest ways to drive down costs and protect our water supply for future generations – and the future of your business.
