Delivering more ambitious business water efficiency – Joint Regulators Letter –
Waterwise ‘In some really exciting news for water efficiency, the joint regulators’ letter on delivering greater water efficiency in the water retail market, which we have been calling for since our 2019 workshop, was issued by Ofwat and the Environment Agency to wholesale and retailer water company CEOs in England on 18th March.
In this hard-hitting letter, Rachel Fletcher (Ofwat) and Harvey Bradshaw (EA) call on wholesalers and retailers to deliver improved levels of water efficiency in the non household sector, citing their statutory duty to promote water efficiency in the Water Industry Act (Section 93A). The letter calls for greater collaboration between wholesalers and retailers on water efficiency and confirms that can happen without running foul of the Competition Act 1998. Importantly, there is a new requirement for an Action Plan to be co-developed in the next 6 months, potentially through the Retailer-Wholesaler Group (RWG) – with both the plan itself and progress implementing it to be reported into a new National Framework monitoring group (see below). Waterwise is looking forward to engaging on the Action Plan and continuing to input through the National Framework Senior Steering Group – drawing on our Retailers Leadership Group which Nicci and Jo Dow of Business Stream have chaired to drive such impacts, over the last two years.’