Case Study: New Look

Historical analysis and ongoing monitoring reveals £50k in annual savings

The background

In early 2009, Waterscan and New Look started work together on reducing water costs and consumption across the New Look estate.

New Look had undergone a lengthy tendering process before selecting Waterscan as their chosen provider for water management. With varied issues across a nationwide portfolio it was vital to work with a Company who could offer the complete skill-set to both identify and rectify problems and also achieve both retrospective and ongoing savings from the Water Companies. Waterscan is the only consultancy in the UK to offer a full in-house service which deals with water leakage, inefficiencies, incorrect charging and metering issues (identified through historical auditing).

The solution

Waterscan's water management experts offered New Look an "open book" style of analysis, involving the examination of all 533 New Look sites' water bills. This invoice validation process across the whole estate identified a variety of issues to which Waterscan provided a range of remedies. All activities were visible to New Look through the Waterline database, providing an audit trail and proof of savings. Given the contract structure of no-win, no-fee it was imperative such clarity and evidence was demonstrated.

Waterline, Waterscan's unique online water management system, enabled the invoice data to be analysed easily and quickly alerted New Look to sites which needed attention. Once the normal usage levels were identified, high consumption against the benchmark volumes highlighted sites which needed closer examination - often leaks were found which were then remedied with swift repairs. Other issues such as Water Company over-charging, over-sized or multiple meters and inefficiencies were revealed and rectified.

The outcome

The Waterline team, based in Waterscan's Head Office at Chichester, negotiated tirelessly with the Water Companies to resolve all the issues; such as shared water supplies and inappropriate fixed charges. Alongside them, Waterscan's nationwide team of technicians addressed the consumption issues through repair and installation of water efficient devices such as spray taps, cistern reduction devices and urinal controls.

Waterscan's full service identified a number of issues and provided swift rectification. In addition, water consumption is monitored on an ongoing basis providing annual savings of over £50k.