East of England businesses are sitting on untapped cost savings of £1.2 million per day

Local businesses are collectively missing out on combined cost savings of as much as £1.2 million per day by ignoring the potential of water efficiency, say sustainable business experts Envirowise.

In a recent survey 70% of East of England businesses said they are not currently measuring or monitoring their water use at all, and a huge 93% do not have any water reduction targets in place.

However, these businesses could reduce their water bills by as much as a third if they were to take steps to manage their water use more effectively, says Simon Best, Envirowise Regional Manager for the East of England:

"With more than 1 billion cubic metres of water being used across the region every year, there is significant potential for businesses to save money and reduce their environmental impact by taking action on water efficiency," advises Simon. "That is why we are encouraging local organisations to join Rippleffect, a national initiative offering online advice and support to cut water waste and costs."

Businesses signing up to Rippleffect - http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/rippleffect - before 14 September will receive free support from Envirowise to better understand their water use, identify simple water saving steps and then measure the cost savings they have made.

"The Rippleffect programme is delivered in three online modules over a six-month period, helping businesses to benchmark their water use and set targets for improvement," continues Simon.

"We were surprised to see that more than half of the businesses surveyed in the region did not believe it was possible to reduce their water bill at all by improving water efficiency. This is clearly a missed opportunity and one that offers valuable cost saving potential, as well as reputational benefits for companies taking action and demonstrating a commitment to the environment too."

More than 500 UK businesses registered for the Rippleffect in 2008. New features for 2009 include:

• Access to sector-specific modules for hotel & catering, meat & poultry processing and fruit & vegetable processing
• Access to water efficiency advice in areas such as rainwater harvesting, vehicle washing and boiler & cooling tower operation.

Participants could also receive a certificate in recognition of their achievements.

East of England businesses interested in taking part in Rippleffect should visit http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/rippleffect or call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794.