Writing in a joint open letter, Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA) have welcomed the recently published joint industry water efficiency Action plan developed by wholesalers and retailers in the business retail water sector.
The Action plan has been developed by the Retailer-Wholesaler Group (RWG) in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the Market Operator (MOSL), Waterwise and CCW, in response to a request by the regulators for the business retail sector to take further steps to improve levels of water efficiency.
In March 2020 Ofwat and the EA wrote to the Group highlighting the potential for improved water efficiency in to make a significant contribution to meeting national needs for delivering water on a long-term, sustainable basis. They also asked wholesalers and retailers to work together to produce a joint industry plan of action, to include how they intend to work together to develop and deliver 2024 Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs) that deliver significantly improved levels of water efficiency in the business sector.
The RWG Action plan published in January comprises five key headline actions and supporting actions designed to identify and tackle barriers to improved water efficiency in the sector, together with a timetable for achieving progress.
The Action plan sets out the following five key areas for delivery, with associated milestones and timetables over the course of 2021:
- Provide greater clarity on expectations and ambition for business water efficiency;
- Improve understanding of how business water is being used, where and how much;
- Improve collaboration in water resource planning and in identifying and progressing options to meet future business and societal water needs;
- Identify and address wider regulatory and other relevant barriers to the delivery of business water efficiency; and
- Deliver insights into business customer motivations to save water using them to inform water saving campaigns and initiatives.
The Action plan will now be presented to a group to be established by Defra as part of a new monitoring and reporting framework to report on progress on demand management. It is currently anticipated that Defra will establish the Senior Water Demand Steering Group (SWDSG) in the spring of 2021.
The letter from Ofwat Chief Executive Rachel Fletcher and Harvey Bradshaw, Executive Director, Environment and Business at the Environment Agency says:
“In advance of the establishment of the SWDSG, we write to signal that we welcome and support the RWG’s Action plan for industry. We look to industry and trading parties to work together to pursue and complete the actions set out in the plan and so meet the objectives for improved water efficiency in the non-household sector.
“A further potential resource available to trading parties that we would urge you to consider is the Ofwat innovation competition and fund; innovations to improve water efficiency are included within its scope.”
“The EA and Ofwat recognise that regulatory support - and possibly action - will play a key role in enabling industry to achieve the changes and improvements necessary to deliver its Action plan and more efficient water usage.“
Click here to download the RWG Action Plan
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