Your customers have probably looked at their electricity contract this year. Maybe their gas too. Their water? Almost certainly not. Most businesses pay it, file it and forget it, often on the same arrangement they’ve had for years.

That’s a gap. And you’re well placed to fill it, because you’re already having the utilities conversation. Here are six things most of your customers don’t know about their water, and why each one is worth raising at your next renewal.

1. They can choose who bills them

The business water market in England opened in 2017. Scotland got there in 2008. Yet according to Everflow, almost half of businesses still don't know they can shop around.¹ So they stay where they've always been, without ever asking whether it's the right deal.

Your way in: "Did you know you can switch who supplies your water?" Often, they didn't. It's about the easiest opener you'll ever get.

2. Switching doesn't touch the pipes

This is usually the first worry, so deal with it early. The local wholesaler still looks after the pipes and delivers the water. The retailer handles the billing, the customer service and the extras.

So nothing changes at the tap. No engineers, no interruption, no digging up the car park. Just a different name on the bill, and hopefully better service behind it.

Your way in: Lead with the reassurance. "Switching changes who bills you, not what comes out of the tap." Take the worry off the table and the rest of the conversation gets a lot easier.

3. The biggest saving usually isn't the price

Here's the part most people miss. A better contract helps, but the bigger win is often using less water in the first place.

Leaks, tired fittings and old equipment waste water every day. Most businesses have no idea it's happening, because nobody reads a water bill that closely.

Your way in: Don't open on price. Ask "When did anyone last check your site for leaks?" It's a question most customers can't answer, and that's exactly the point.

4. A dripping tap can waste around 5,500 litres a year

One tap. One drip. Around 5,500 litres a year, gone.²

Now picture a gym with forty showers, a pub with a busy kitchen, or a factory full of ageing pipework. The small stuff adds up fast.

Your way in: Make it about their site. "How many showers and toilets have you got? When were they last looked at?" Once they start counting, they start wondering.

5. Saving water cuts their energy bill too

Water doesn't heat itself. Every litre that comes out hot has been heated, and often pumped, along the way. Use less hot water and the energy bill comes down with it.

That's what makes water such a natural fit alongside the energy work you already do. One conversation. Two bills that could come down.

Your way in: Raise it during the energy conversation, not after it. "While we're looking at your energy, shall we see if we can bring the hot water side down too?"

6. It counts towards their sustainability goals

More businesses are being asked about their environmental footprint, by their own customers and by the bigger firms they supply. Using less water, and the energy that goes with it, is a practical step they can actually point to.

You're not selling them a green badge. You're giving them something real to report.

Your way in: Ask who's asking them. "Are your customers or your bank asking about your environmental footprint yet?" If the answer's yes, water just became part of the solution.

So what does fixing it look like?

We work with Everflow, a business water retailer with a strong focus on efficiency. Alongside a contract review, Everflow offers an EcoMOT. Think of it as a check-up for a site's water use, with energy-saving recommendations included.

It runs in five steps:

1. A conversation with an environmental advisor

2. A specialist visits the site

3. Leaks are found and water-saving devices fitted

4. Tailored recommendations for further savings

5. A clear report showing the money, water and carbon saved

The kit is usually simple, and the payback can be quick. At one nursery, Everflow estimates the work will pay for itself in under a year.³

Three businesses, three fixes

Here's what it looked like in practice. These are Everflow's own figures, mostly estimated from fitting flow rates, so actual savings will vary by site.

Beaconside Sports & Fitness Centre. A leisure site with plenty of showers and plenty of hot water. After an EcoMOT, it's estimated to be saving £2,131 a year on its bills.⁴

The Apple Inn, Northumberland. Nothing dramatic. Shower regulators and flow restrictors, simple kit that cut measured water use by 12%.⁵

Buckingham Arms. Just three fittings upgraded on the day. Water use from those fittings is estimated to have fallen by more than half, and the energy to heat it fell with it.⁶

Sounds like more work for you?

Fair question. Not much, as it happens. Water runs through energyengine®, just like your energy.

You raise the tender in one place. One site or several, with your preferred suppliers, terms and commission, and the letter of authority and water bill uploaded alongside. No chasing emails. No side spreadsheet. Clear statuses show where each tender is and what's needed from you, and your account manager supports it from validation through to pricing and contract.

And it doesn't stop at the signature. Contract dates, agreed commission and signed documents sit in energyengine® next to your energy, so you can track what you're earning, see renewals coming and plan the next conversation early. A customer whose water and energy are both looked after has one more reason to stay with you.

Pick one and make the call

You don't need all six. Pick the one that fits the customer in front of you and start there. Water is rarely the conversation they expect from you, which is exactly why it gets their attention.

Somewhere on your book there's a gym, a pub, a care home or a factory that hasn't thought about water in years. Which customer would you ask first?

Get in touch with the Online Direct team and let's talk about adding water to the conversation.

Sources

1. Everflow, business water services, 2026.

2. Everflow estimate, quoted in its EcoMOT case studies.

3. Everflow, Muddy Boots Nursery EcoMOT case study. Estimated figures.

4. Everflow, Beaconside Sports & Fitness Centre EcoMOT case study, October 2025. Estimated figures.

5. Everflow, The Apple Inn EcoMOT case study, February 2026. Measured figures.

6. Everflow, Buckingham Arms EcoMOT case study, May 2025. Estimated figures.

Everflow's estimates are based on fitting flow rates and average device performance. Actual savings will vary by site.