Leak detection nets £30,000 savings

We’ve provided water retail services to London Borough of Redbridge Council since 2018, through the London Energy Project (LEP) Framework. The council uses our water consumption monitoring service, which is part of our Active Water Management® suite of services (AWM) to monitor and better understand their water usage.

As part of this service, the council receives a high consumption alert if any of their sites record consumption above a predetermined level.

In summer 2020 we alerted the council to high consumption at London Borough of Redbridge Football Ground Complex. The site showed an increase in water use from 15m3 to 71m3 – that’s an extra 56,000 litres. After receiving the high consumption alert, the council surveyed the site for signs of leaks, however it was unable to carry out isolation tests as the meter also supplied other buildings.

As one of our larger public sector customers, Redbridge Council benefits from our key account management service and it was able to contact a dedicated account manager to arrange a leak detection and repair survey.

Prompt action resulted in immediate repair

Our Water Efficiency Services team attended Redbridge Football Ground Complex and found that the main revenue meter was recording a constant water flow and the sub meter was static. This meant that the pipework servicing the club was in fully working order.

The pipework was traced as far off the property as allowed and no leaks were detected. Following this investigation, we suggested returning with a Road Opening Licence so that the highway could be excavated, with permission to also access neighbouring facilities.

After excavations over three days, a leak was found under a nearby railway bridge. A fracture to a main pipe was fixed immediately with a repair clamp. The main pipe was recharged and the meter checked to confirm there was no longer any leaks.

Significant savings achieved

Thanks to our high consumption alert service, we were able to investigate and repair the leak for the council quickly, resulting in an impressive annual cost saving of £29,919 which returned the club back to its normal water use.

Our Account Manager, Beverly, said: “This case was a really good example of how high consumption alerts work so well to identify potential issues. The alert led to a thorough investigation and a successful end result. Significant water savings were made worth almost £30,000 through the collaborative work between Wave and London Borough of Redbridge Council. Our Water Efficiency Services team took ownership and made the process simple from start to finish.”

Following this experience, the council is considering installing an Automatic Meter Reader at the Redbridge Football Ground Complex. This would allow them to monitor the site’s water consumption on a daily basis and get real-time alerts if consumption spikes again.

London Borough of Redbridge Council commented on the work: “A suspected leak was reported to Wave by Redbridge Borough Council due to high consumption being recorded through the meter at the Redbridge Football Club / Young Offenders site. Average daily consumption had significantly increased - from 15.74m3 in August 2019 to 71.89m3 in July 2020 - on the main meter that feeds both the Football Club and Young Offenders Centre.”

“Wave identified that the main revenue meter was recording a constant flow of around 50 litres per minute. A work instruction was issued and signed, and Wave completed work to excavate and fix the leaks within the shortest possible time. On completion of the survey, we were sent full details of the water leak detection report, including photographs and full recommendations on how to best solve the problem. Wave made all the necessary arrangements for us and made sure the water leak repair was completed in good time. They also helped us with the non-return to sewerage rebate claim.”

“The service we received was excellent! The work was done in a timely way and the technicians were professional, polite, friendly and informative. A nasty leak ended in a great experience!”

We work with many councils and large public sector organisations that benefit from our key account management service and Water Efficiency Services. Together we look at their individual premises to reduce water consumption, cut waste and drive down costs. Find out more about how we can help your organisation improve environmental impact and save money.

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