Environment & Climate
Regulators face data gaps as businesses consume nearly a third of England's public water
Commercial confidentiality and limited metering hinder national water planning during widespread drought conditions.
The short version
- Businesses account for 30% of England's public water consumption, using 2.6 billion litres daily while three-quarters of the country faces drought.
- Data collection on industrial use is limited because one in ten businesses lacks a meter, only 11% have smart meters, and commercial confidentiality restricts information sharing.
- Regulators such as Ofwat and the Environment Agency are advocating for mandatory reporting of current and projected business water usage to support long-term planning.
Key facts
- Businesses in England consume roughly 2.6 billion litres daily from the public supply, with two-thirds of that consumption occurring in water-stressed areas.[The Guardian]
- English water companies lose approximately 2.2 billion litres of water per day due to pipe leaks.[The Guardian]
- One in ten businesses in England operates without a water meter, and only 11% of metered businesses use smart meters.[The Guardian]
- The business water market operator, Mosl, must negotiate bespoke data-sharing agreements with government departments like Defra and the Environment Agency due to commercial constraints.[The Guardian]
- Official government planning targets an overall reduction in business water consumption of 9% by 2038 and 15% by 2050.[The Guardian]
- Direct abstraction of up to 20,000 litres a day from natural water bodies is permitted without a licence or reporting requirement, covering roughly 850,000 entities across England.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Water UK argues that government consumption reduction targets are unrealistic due to emerging demand from data centres and hydrogen production, while regulators continue to plan around those reduction goals.[The Guardian]
- ExxonMobil disputed Mosl's figures and assessment regarding public water usage at its Fawley refinery complex, stating the site relies primarily on sea water for cooling and asserting its data is commercially confidential.[The Guardian]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.