Water audits are an increasingly popular way for businesses to monitor their water usage and increase efficiency. They have plenty of advantages, so if you’ve never had one before now might be the time to invest. Audits are good for your business and good for the environment, too, since saving water has never been more important.
What is a water audit?
A water audit means bringing in a professional surveyor to take a look at your water supply, quality, and usage with the aim of making savings. They’ll assess every aspect of your system, looking not only for vulnerabilities but areas where you could improve. At the end of the audit, you’ll receive a report detailing their findings and making recommendations.
Water audits are often undertaken when a business switches its water tariff or provider via a comparison service. Comparison tools like Utility Bidder will offer an audit as a better way to understand your usage and ensure that you’re on the right tariff. That information is then used as part of the switch to find more bespoke quotes unique to your business.
What do they look for?
The auditor will undertake a comprehensive examination of your business’s water supply system. That involves looking for faults like leaking or damaged pipes, as well as faulty appliances and even loose valves. More than just a fault-finding mission, the auditor will look at individual appliances to ascertain how efficient they are and cast an eye over the system more generally.
The process will help you identify areas where water is being wasted and the parts of the system costing the most. A water audit is all about understanding how much water you’re wasting, where, and how you might remedy the problem. No business is fully water-efficient, and even if you’ve had an audit before, it’s likely that the system has changed in the meantime. Leaks develop over time, and as business changes, so too does its water demands.
How do they help?
Water audits help businesses save money. You’ll receive a report at the end of the audit that makes recommendations based on its findings. These will include areas that need urgent intervention and repair (leaks, for example) to other areas where you could improve your water efficiency. The report will make suggestions and also offer an estimate of how much you might save if you were to implement those changes.
Changes can include simple repairs to cost-cutting measures like installing water butts to make use of rainwater, grey water diverters to send tap water to toilet flushes, or even simpler measures like thermostatic valves. These interventions will be balanced in the report to show their cost offset with longer-term savings. The financial implications of an audit are clear, but they also help your business to be more environmentally friendly. By cutting down on wastewater, you’ll be doing your bit for the planet as well as your wallet, as it can save money and help the environment.