The second Water Efficiency Lab (WEL2) has now launched – WEL2 will award up to £5 million to innovators who develop tools and solutions that can help to identify and cut the 1 to 1.5 billion litres of water lost to leaks in homes and businesses every day.
Through the Water Efficiency Lab, Ofwat will award £5 million to the most promising solutions that help to prevent, predict, pinpoint and/or fix customer-side leaks in homes and businesses – with up to £1.5 million available to each winner:
An estimated 1 to 1.5 billion litres a day is lost to leaks in homes and workplaces – equating to up to 547 billion litres a year and costing customers and businesses between £1-1.6 billion. This can include leaks from water pipes or fittings, including internal plumbing and external supply pipes within property boundaries.
In addition to the direct cost to customers, “escape of water” claims from businesses and households cost UK insurers £1.25 billion in 2024, with almost three quarters of that sum coming from household leaks.
Finding and fixing customer-side leaks is essential to achieving better water resilience, securing water supplies for everyone, and preventing the environmental damage if water is over abstracted from aquifers or rivers. By proactively identifying and fixing leaks, customers can reduce their water bills and minimise the risk of costly property damage and unexpected repair bills.
Scope of WEL2 covers:
PREVENT: Prevent leaks through better materials, accessible fixtures, or retrofit of durable components
PREDICT: Use data or models to predict where and when a leak is likely to occur before failure happens
PINPOINT: Identify the exact location of a suspected or confirmed leak – such as ‘second floor bathroom toilet’ rather than ‘somewhere in this property’
FIX: Enable low-intervention, low-disruption or low-cost repairs, or simplify the repair journey from detection to completion
Paul Hickey, Managing Director of RAPID, Ofwat said:
“Warmer, drier summers and wetter winters are putting pressure on our water supply, and climate change will only accelerate this trend. This means in many areas we are using water faster than nature can replace it. As things stand, there will not be enough water to meet demand if it remains at current levels, but with the data and technology to use water more wisely, we can protect the environment and reduce usage all at once.
“A quarter of all the water lost to leaks happens in our homes and businesses, but cutting them will save water, energy and customer money. However, water users cannot be expected to reduce their water consumption on their own – that’s why they need new tools, technologies and insights funded by the Water Efficiency Lab to reduce their water consumption in a way that supports, or actually improves, quality of life or business operations.”
Dr Dan Simmons, Managing Director, Quensus Intelligent Water Management & Leak Detection, which is leading the Water Efficiency Lab 1 winning project, The WIN Initiative said:
“UK commercial properties lose up to 30% of their water to hidden customer-side leaks like faulty toilet valves. Data alone doesn't stop this. Through The WIN Initiative, we combine live water sensor data with a building's occupancy and energy use to separate real problems from normal variations in water use. Round one funding has already helped us clear a significant hurdle: getting tenants, landlords, facilities managers, water retailers, and insurers to agree to the installation and data-sharing. Scaled nationally, this technology could save up to 35 million cubic metres of water a year.”
The WIN Initiative has been awarded £495,000 to install more than 1,000 sensors across 30 commercial buildings to tackle the 10 to 30 per cent of water lost in commercial settings to leaks and continuous flow. The project will also test whether linking water efficiency to insurance premiums could turn water saving from a voluntary commitment into a financially motivated one, with insurer Aviva exploring how a new Water Management Plan standard might unlock benefits for building owners.
The Environment Act has set an ambitious target to reduce the use of public water supply per person by 20% to 122 litres a day by the end of March 2038 (ultimately aiming for 110 litres a day by 2050) to protect the environment and secure drinking supplies. On average, we currently each use 144 litres of water a day, totalling 8.8 billion litres.
The applications process for WEL2 opened yesterday and will close on 20 October 2026. For full details and to apply, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org
A launch Webinar for Water Efficiency Lab 2 will take place on 12:00 PM on 12 August 2026 for potential entrants to learn more about the Water Efficiency Lab 2 competition, its aims and the application process, and ask questions to the delivery team. Click here to register.
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