Seasonal water Efficiency - How Business can prepare for drier periods

23 June 2026

Why water efficiency planning matters?

With summer approaching, there is a higher risk of water shortages. Water supplies are under pressure from:

increasing demand
changing weather patterns
ageing infrastructure

This can affect how reliable water is and how much it costs.

Planning ahead can help your business reduce risks and cope better if supplies are limited.

When it’s very dry, businesses might have to use less water, pay more for it, or deal with it being temporarily unavailable. This makes it important to act early.

For example, during recent dry periods in Scotland, some businesses had to reduce or stop using water because river levels were too low.

Business benefits

Improving how your business uses water can bring several benefits:

save money - reduced water bills and lower energy use for heating and pumping
meet regulations – meet environmental requirements and prepare for potential restrictions
improve your reputation – show customers and partners you use resources responsibly
reduce disruption - improve resilience and help maintain business continuity during dry periods.

Below are some steps you can take to reduce your water use before summer.

Start by understanding your water consumption

The first step in water efficiency planning is to analyse your water use:

establish your water consumption per month, week or day (choose the frequency that best reflects your operations)
identify trends or patterns
benchmark your water use against similar businesses within your industry
identify unusual readings and investigate the causes

It is important to review your water usage regularly, as demand will vary depending on business activity and seasonal changes.

You can refer to our guidance “analyse how much water you use”.

You may also wish to use Business Energy Scotland’s water template and consider taking part in their Green Champion Training.

Quick wins

While monitoring, you might identify simple changes that can reduce water use straight away:

Fix leaks – address dripping taps, running toilets and pipe leaks promptly
Install low-flow fixtures – such as water-efficient taps, aerators and dual-flush toilets
Procurement – include water efficiency as a key criterion when purchasing new equipment
Train staff and contractors – raise awareness so issues are reported quickly and water is used responsibly

Individually, these actions may seem small, but together they can deliver meaningful savings and benefits for your business.

Strategic investments

You may also want to explore more substantial measures to reduce water use or dependence on external supplies:

redesign systems to use less water (e.g. closed-loop cooling systems)
create water storage, such as rainwater harvesting systems, to capture surplus water during wetter months
upgrade infrastructure (e.g. replace ageing pipes to reduce leaks or introduce drip irrigation systems)
explore wastewater recycling opportunities – for example, reusing water for toilet flushing or treating wastewater for other operational uses

While these measures may require greater investment and planning, they can deliver long-term benefits and significantly improve business resilience.

Next Step

Now is the time to review your water use and implement efficiency measures ahead of peak summer demand.

We have a range of resources available to support your efforts to reduce water use and environmental impact:

If you have any examples of how you reduced your business’s water use, contact us netregs@sepa.org.uk