Saving water and energy
With the rising cost of living, we're here to help you use less energy and save money on your bills. We also want to help protect the environment.
Water uses a lot of energy. You probably already know that using hot water increases your energy bills. Small changes like shorter showers or using the ECO setting on your appliances can save you hundreds of pounds a year.
But cold water also uses energy. Collecting, cleaning and pumping the water to your homes and businesses takes a lot of electricity – enough to power more than 46,500 homes and costing £27.3 million between 2023 and 2024.
If everyone uses less water, we can invest more in our pipes and equipment. Saving water also helps the environment. Trees, plants, and animals all need water to survive, just like us.
Little changes make a big difference
We use water so often every day that we don’t even think about it. From the moment we wake up, we're turning on taps for showers, brushing our teeth, making drinks and cooking.
Little actions can make a big difference to your energy bills. A study by the National Energy Action found that almost half of us shower for seven minutes on average every day!
The Energy Saving Trust says that shortening your shower to four minutes could save a typical household £135 a year on energy and water bills. It could also save 31,500 litres of water a year, which is good for the environment.
Can you shower in 4 minutes?
Try our four-minute Spotify playlist to help you keep your showers short!
Easy ways to save with your appliances
Making small changes can save you over £194 a year (or £269 if you have a water meter) across your energy and water bills.
Washing machines
Washing clothes at 30 degrees and doing one less load of laundry a week could save you £24 a year. Using the ECO cycle, if you have one, can also save water and energy.
Kettles and sinks
Only fill the kettle with the water you need to help reduce water and energy use.
A tap aerator can also reduce the amount of water you use and could save you £29 a year.
Dishwashers
Wait until your dishwasher is full before using it.
This simple change reduces water usage and running your dishwasher on one fewer occasion each week could save you £12 a year.
Showers
Shortening your shower to four minutes can save you £60 a year on energy bills (or £135 on combined energy and water bills if you have a water meter).
Swapping one bath a week for a four-minute shower can save you an extra £9 on your energy bills and a water-efficient showerhead could save you another £60 a year.
Our plan to reduce our impact on the environment
Climate change is a serious problem, and we’re working hard to reduce our impact.
We have been working hard to cut our CO2 emissions, and have reduced our operational carbon by 38%, however, we've pledged to reach operational carbon net zero by 2030. This is an ambitious target and big commitment, but important to us to achieve.
We’re working with experts, stakeholders and partners to reach this goal. You can help too by saving water and energy.
Manage your account online
My Account helps you understand your water usage, compare it to your neighbours, manage your bills, and more.
Here’s what you can do with My Account:
• Submit meter readings
• Add multiple properties
• Track your water usage
• View and download bills
• Manage payments
• Tell us if you're moving home
My Account can help you understand how much water you use and give you tips on saving water and money.
