Less than half of business customers in England and Wales (43%) are engaging in water-saving activities, according to the latest Testing the Waters survey from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
The consumer group is calling for stronger collaboration between water companies and water retailers to ensure business customers are empowered with the advice and practical support they need to save water.
Just over a third of businesses (35%) said they would be interested in receiving advice and support on how to reduce their usage, with enthusiasm for this growing in line with the size of the business.
CCW’s biennial survey has been tracking businesses’ views on their water, sewerage and retail services since before the non-household water retail market opened in England in April 2017.
One of the expected benefits of allowing businesses to switch retailer was it would help to promote water saving among customers and in turn reduce their bills. But progress has been slow in this area, with the majority of customers (57%) unable to identify any steps they had taken to save water across their business.
Christina Blackwell, Head of Business Customers at CCW, said:
“Our research shows there remains considerable untapped potential to help businesses of all sizes save water through empowering them with the practical support and advice they need to take action.”
“Every contact a retailer or water company has with a business customer is an opportunity to provide them with advice and guidance on reducing their water use and help them to save money off their bills. The scale of the challenge we face in tackling water scarcity means we cannot afford to miss these opportunities.”
Retailers and wholesalers will be joining a CCW workshop early next month to explore how all parties can work together to improve communication with businesses around water efficiency. CCW is particularly keen to ensure customers are able to make the most of the increased flow of information on water usage from the growth of smart metering.
Elsewhere, the survey shows that overall satisfaction with water (89%) and sewerage (83%) services among business customers remains stable and has not followed the recent decline seen among households in our latest Water Matters survey.
However, since the opening of the retail market in England, satisfaction with services from their retailer has fallen during every two-year cycle of the survey. Less than two-thirds (63%) of business customers in England are satisfied with retail services, which covers areas such as billing, meter reading and wider customer service. That is considerably lower than in Wales where satisfaction with these services has remained robust since the pandemic and currently stands at 84%.
CCW wants to see satisfaction with retail services in England increase and close the gap with satisfaction among businesses in Wales. The consumer watchdog will be working with retailers to help them address the main causes of dissatisfaction, including problems stemming from estimated billing.
All retailers also have the option of taking part in a complaints assessment where CCW can offer help and advice on improving their complaints processes.
