Check your meter – make sure the serial number corresponds to the one on your bill – you may be paying for water that you are not using!

Compare your water bills over a significant period of time - preferably a few years – this will enable you to see changing trends and detect any abnormalities which might require further investigation

Engage management and staff at all levels so that everyone is aware of the environmental and financial importance of saving water

Appoint a staff member to be responsible for monitoring water usage around the business and identifying areas requiring action. This should involve regular walk-abouts and the same person should act as a contact to enable staff to report water leaks or any related issues and ideas

Water meters can be fitted internally as a convenient addition to those mounted underground. These will enable readings to be easily taken on a regular basis without resorting to ‘pot-holing’. Furthermore equipment is available for remote monitoring and to raise an alarm / shut off supplies should a preset flow limit be exceeded

Sub-metering - consider installing additional water meters at large sites with separate buildings and particularly where large amounts of water are used for certain processes. This can also aid leak detection by a process of elimination

Urinal controls are now a legal requirement. They prevent wastage from traditional 'trickle cock' systems which fill and flush 24/7 whether the urinals are used or not.

Hydraulic controls work by filling the cistern when a drop in water pressure is sensed due to hand washing. These controls although widely used are difficult to setup correctly and can be unreliable when the water pressure fluctuates – and depend upon users willingness to actually wash their hands!

Waterless urinals can be used to avoid the use of water but they usually require an effective management regime to minimise odour problems

Watersavers Autosave Infrared controls initiate a flush only after a person or persons are detected in the toilet area. Provision is made for a 'hygiene' flush to be carried out every 12 or 24 hours in order to keep the bowls fresh during periods of inactivity
These controls save massive amounts of water and payback times can be as little as 5 weeks
Furthermore additional tax benefits may be realised on their purchase and installation through the government's
ECA Scheme

You can save water every time you flush your toilet by fitting a cistern dam into all your WC cisterns. They work by reducing the cistern's volume by around one litre. Over a year this reduction will bring a worthwhile saving. Cistern dams can be purchased from Watersavers and are inexpensive and easy to fit.
NOTE: Modern cisterns may already be sufficiently small so that fitting a cistern dam would reduce the flushing efficiency of the toilets

Taps can be responsible for significant water loss
Dripping taps  - a new washer costs less than 50p and starts to pay for itself immediately. A 5mm drip from a single tap can cost as much as £900 per year!
Taps left running – display warning posters, fit automatic/push  taps or alternatively install a shut off valve system to isolate supplies to all handbasin taps and WCs when areas are unoccupied. This can also help protect against damage due to vandalism and burst fittings
Consider fitting spray taps or flow restrictors to reduce the actual flow from the taps

Consider using rainwater or greywater for landscape irrigation. Plant trees and shrubs with deep root systems that do not require daily watering. Generally native plants require less water than ornamental varieties. Consider alternative landscaping features such as wood or stone

Irrigation systems should be periodically checked for leaks and their spread restricted to the required area. Sprinklers etc should be controlled to function only when necessary