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Edinburgh Reporter
17-06-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Savings on water charges pour in for public sector
Water firm's long-standing partnership continues to deliver benefits. Scotland's public sector has saved more than £3million in water costs in the past financial year. The significant savings have been delivered within the first year of a renewed framework partnership with one of the UK's leading water retailers, which continues to help major organisations including the NHS, Police Scotland and local authorities. Edinburgh-based water retailer, Business Stream, has confirmed the savings milestone as part of its ongoing delivery under the Scottish Government's Water and Waste Water Services Framework, a contract worth in excess of £240million. Under the previous four-year framework contract (2020-2024) with Business Stream, Scotland's public sector saved over £8.9million, and delivered a 4.6million reduction in cubic metres of water and reduced carbon emissions through a raft of leak detection and water efficiency services. Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, said: 'We're committed to working in partnership with Scotland's public sector to deliver long-term, sustainable savings. By providing value-added services with a key focus on water efficiency, we're continuing to drive down costs and support the sector to achieve their environmental targets.' The water retailer's focus on value-added services has helped public sector bodies embrace a more environmentally conscious approach to resource use. Through a combination of smart monitoring, tailored water efficiency planning and a rapid response to identify and repair leaks, in the past year Business Stream has supported reductions in energy consumption equating to more than 530 tonnes of CO₂e. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Business Stream has continued to deliver financial and environmental benefits to the public sector in Scotland by identifying water-saving opportunities, reducing emissions, and delivering financial saving. These savings not only reduce costs but also contribute to the sector's net zero agenda.' The savings come in the wake of Business Stream's decision to double its annual Water Efficiency Fund to £100,000 – a move designed to further support public sector organisations to make environmental upgrades. Established in 2020, the annual fund supports a diverse range of water saving projects, from conservation audits to infrastructure upgrades in schools, museums, hospitals and local authority facilities across Scotland. Projects delivered in recent months include improved plumbing systems in NHS facilities, smart monitoring devices for local councils, and targeted audits across National Museums Scotland. The Water Efficiency Fund is just one of a wide range of initiatives introduced by Business Stream since launching its vision to Make a Positive Difference (MAPD) in 2019 – a purpose-led approach to delivering positive impact for its customers, people, the environment and its local communities. Jo Dow Chief Executive Business Stream Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Record savings pour in for Scotland's public sector
Water firm's long-standing partnership continues to deliver millions in benefits Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's public sector has saved over £3million in water costs in the past financial year. The significant savings have been delivered within the first year of a renewed framework partnership with one of the UK's leading water retailers, which continues to help major organisations including the NHS, Police Scotland and local authorities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh-based water retailer, Business Stream, has confirmed the £3million savings milestone as part of its ongoing delivery under the Scottish Government's Water and Waste Water Services Framework, a contract worth in excess of £240million. Business Stream chief Executive, Jo Dow Under the previous four-year framework contract (2020-2024) with Business Stream, Scotland's public sector saved over £8.9million, and delivered a 4.6million reduction in cubic metres of water and reduced carbon emissions through a raft of leak detection and water efficiency services. Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, said: 'We're committed to working in partnership with Scotland's public sector to deliver long-term, sustainable savings. By providing value-added services with a key focus on water efficiency, we're continuing to drive down costs and support the sector to achieve their environmental targets.' The water retailer's focus on value-added services has helped public sector bodies embrace a more environmentally conscious approach to resource use. Through a combination of smart monitoring, tailored water efficiency planning and a rapid response to identify and repair leaks, in the past year Business Stream has supported reductions in energy consumption equating to more than 530 tonnes of CO₂e. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Business Stream has continued to deliver financial and environmental benefits to the public sector in Scotland by identifying water-saving opportunities, reducing emissions, and delivering financial saving. These savings not only reduce costs but also contribute to the sector's net zero agenda.' The savings come in the wake of Business Stream's decision to double its annual Water Efficiency Fund to £100,000 – a move designed to further support public sector organisations to make environmental upgrades. Established in 2020, the annual fund supports a diverse range of water saving projects, from conservation audits to infrastructure upgrades in schools, museums, hospitals and local authority facilities across Scotland. Projects delivered in recent months include improved plumbing systems in NHS facilities, smart monitoring devices for local councils, and targeted audits across National Museums Scotland.
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Record savings pour in for Scotland's public sector
Water firm's long-standing partnership continues to deliver millions in benefits Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's public sector has saved over £3million in water costs in the past financial year. The significant savings have been delivered within the first year of a renewed framework partnership with one of the UK's leading water retailers, which continues to help major organisations including the NHS, Police Scotland and local authorities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh-based water retailer, Business Stream, has confirmed the £3million savings milestone as part of its ongoing delivery under the Scottish Government's Water and Waste Water Services Framework, a contract worth in excess of £240million. Business Stream, Chief Executive Jo Dow Under the previous four-year framework contract (2020-2024) with Business Stream, Scotland's public sector saved over £8.9million, and delivered a 4.6million reduction in cubic metres of water and reduced carbon emissions through a raft of leak detection and water efficiency services. Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, said: 'We're committed to working in partnership with Scotland's public sector to deliver long-term, sustainable savings. By providing value-added services with a key focus on water efficiency, we're continuing to drive down costs and support the sector to achieve their environmental targets.' The water retailer's focus on value-added services has helped public sector bodies embrace a more environmentally conscious approach to resource use. Through a combination of smart monitoring, tailored water efficiency planning and a rapid response to identify and repair leaks, in the past year Business Stream has supported reductions in energy consumption equating to more than 530 tonnes of CO₂e. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Business Stream has continued to deliver financial and environmental benefits to the public sector in Scotland by identifying water-saving opportunities, reducing emissions, and delivering financial saving. These savings not only reduce costs but also contribute to the sector's net zero agenda.' The savings come in the wake of Business Stream's decision to double its annual Water Efficiency Fund to £100,000 – a move designed to further support public sector organisations to make environmental upgrades. Established in 2020, the annual fund supports a diverse range of water saving projects, from conservation audits to infrastructure upgrades in schools, museums, hospitals and local authority facilities across Scotland. Projects delivered in recent months include improved plumbing systems in NHS facilities, smart monitoring devices for local councils, and targeted audits across National Museums Scotland. The Water Efficiency Fund is just one of a wide range of initiatives introduced by Business Stream since launching its vision to Make a Positive Difference (MAPD) in 2019 – a purpose-led approach to delivering positive impact for its customers, people, the environment and its local communities.
Scotsman
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
The role water efficiency plays in a greener Scotland: Here's how your business can save water and money
Business Stream Given the climate crisis, increasing costs and the need to protect what is fast becoming a precious resource, Stephen Sheridan, Head of Account Management at Business Stream shares his insights into what businesses can do to reduce water use - and benefit from financial and environmental savings. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The climate crisis has brought with it a new sense of urgency for businesses to act. From decarbonisation to resource efficiency, pressure is mounting from customers, investors, regulators and employees to demonstrate genuine progress - not just ambition. Yet in the race to reduce emissions and support sustainability targets, there's one area that often remains overlooked: water. It can be taken for granted. And in a country known for its rainfall, it doesn't always feel like a pressing concern. But the reality is quite different. The truth is water is a precious resource, and we are already facing shortage issues in the UK. And while water resources are a bigger issue in England, particularly the South of England, we're starting to see water shortage issues impact Scotland too. In addition, we also know that the amount of energy used to treat, heat and re-heat water negatively impacts our energy emissions and subsequent net zero targets. Against this backdrop, the need for water efficiency has never been clearer. As a water retailer, we believe we have an important role to play in promoting this message and helping our customers to use less water. Most businesses are aware of the practical interventions that can be taken, such as installing water efficient devices and undertaking water audits. But there are other initiatives and solutions designed to help businesses achieve water efficiencies that are worth exploring. For a start, technology in this space is rapidly evolving, which gives businesses the opportunity to truly understand their water use and identify savings. Last year, we launched Power BI Intelligent Water Management (IWM) reporting for our customers, giving them self-serve access to a suite of comprehensive reports for their sites. This new functionality enables us to analyse customers' consumption data on a site-by-site basis to identify anomalies, send high consumption alerts, track the carbon impact of water use and realise opportunities to achieve water efficiency savings. All of this is then visually displayed for customers to see so they can take ownership of their water use. And for those customers who are committed to embedding sustainability within the culture of their organisation, we've launched our Water Stewardship Programme, a UK-first initiative delivered in partnership with sustainability experts 20FIFTY Partners. The programme is designed to equip businesses with the knowledge, tools and support they need to understand their water use, identify opportunities to reduce it, and put in place practical strategies that drive change across their sites. It's a 12-week programme that combines group learning, one-to-one mentoring, and real-world action planning, with all participants receiving an accreditation on completion. And it's already delivering results. Businesses that took part in our pilot programme have reported improved efficiencies, greater engagement across their teams, and progress against their sustainability goals. There are also funding opportunities available. For public sector organisations, for example, we offer a £100,000 annual Water Efficiency Fund, which organisations can apply for. This fund has already helped organisations like National Museums Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Edinburgh Council to roll out water-saving interventions, from installing water-efficient urinals and taps, to undertaking water audits across large estates. Given the increasing focus on water scarcity and the on-going need for us all to address the climate crisis we're facing, water efficiency is growing in importance. For businesses that are pro-active in this space, the benefits are clear - using less water is good for the environment, supports sustainability targets and, ultimately, reduces costs.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
New Charter sets customer care standard within water industry
One of the UK's leading water retailers has announced the launch of an industry-first Charter, marking a major milestone in the sector's customer service standards. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Developed in response to colleague and customer feedback, Business Stream's Customer Care Charter sets out 12 commitments that the Edinburgh-based water retailer is committed to delivering to meet and exceed its customers' needs. Jo Mayes, Customer Services Director at Business Stream, said: 'As a customer-centric business, we're passionate about delivering a great service to our customers, every day. This initiative was born out of a desire across the company to always be transparent, to use customer insight to help shape our service delivery and to hold ourselves to account. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The Charter provides a framework around the initiatives and services we're already delivering – or are striving to deliver - for our customers, and also demonstrates our intent to continuously improve the service we provide.' Jo Mayes, Customer Services Director at Business Stream The Customer Care Charter focuses on four key areas: Simple and Easy, Trust, Experience and Expertise, and Care. Each pillar, which has been informed by customer research and insight, is backed by clear, measurable actions that exceed business-as-usual expectations Commitments include longer opening hours, a new live chat service, faster call response times and tailored support for vulnerable customers. Other commitments include maintaining high satisfaction and Trustpilot ratings, further investment in water efficiency services, solutions and data analytics, and meeting environmental and social value targets. Jo Mayes added: 'We'll report annually on our progress, as we want to be transparent and build real trust around our commitment to this Charter. And we'll regularly review our commitments to ensure they continue to reflect what matters most to our customers and colleagues. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This initiative is strongly aligned to our vision to make a positive difference and our hope is that this Charter helps set a new benchmark for customer care in our industry.'
