News
‘Disappointing’ That SMEs Failing To Engage With Water Retail Market
Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which examines the administration, expenditure and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has published a new report into the regulation of the water industry.
The conclusion was drawn that it is in fact disappointing how small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not engaged well in the new retail market as customers after the market opened up back in April last year.
It was observed that big companies should not be the main beneficiaries of the market and Ofwat – the industry regulator – should now be taking steps to incentivise water retailers to attract more SME customers.
It was further noted that although the retail market across England and Wales is indeed in its infancy and teething problems are expected, the first year delivered “unimpressive results” with regards to water efficiency and the committee is concerned that some water retailers are not taking efficiency seriously enough.
“Although water retailers are private companies, they have a key role in improving water efficiency and resilience, which are in the public interest. We are pleased that Ofwat has reviewed the state of the market. We recommend that Ofwat undertake annual reviews until the market is shown to be delivering real competition and water efficiency,” it was concluded.
If you’ve yet to look into the water retail market and how it could benefit you and your business, the start of a new year is always the perfect time to try and make positive changes in life – and work! The Scottish water retail market has been open since 2008 and now English firms can take similar advantage and switch water supplier to find better deals.
But it can be very tricky to navigate your way through the process of switching, particularly since it will likely all be new for you and your business. How do you know who you should switch over to?
Carrying out a water audit before you switch would certainly be wise, so you can get a better picture of your water billing past and present. This will reveal any historical undercharges and overcharges, as well as finding you lots of water-saving opportunities… which will have the knock-on effect of saving you lots of money into the bargain.
Once all the water savings and refunds have been delivered, we’ll then forward on the billing data to all relevant water suppliers based on your customer criteria. We really do take all the hard work out for you since our experts are on hand to guide and support you from the beginning right through to completion.
Bigger water users can also really benefit from the unique water supply package we have on offer here at H2O Building Services. If you use more than 30,000 m3 a year on a single site, get in touch with us today to discuss discounts of water supply contracts of 25 per cent.