34
feature
drainage, plumbing & water saving solutions
why commercial buildings are still underestimating water risk
Richard Braid, Managing Director at Cistermiser, shares his perspective on why water
Q: Why should UK commercial buildings be paying attention to global water scarcity? Water scarcity can feel like a distant issue in the UK, but that perception is misleading. The Environment Agency has already warned that parts of England could face serious supply pressures within the next decade. At the same time, commercial buildings are under increasing scrutiny
to demonstrate measurable
reductions in resource use.
For estates teams, the issue extends beyond sustainability messaging to operational resilience, compliance and cost control. Water is often treated as a background utility being always available, relatively inexpensive and low risk. But rising tariff s, tighter environmental reporting and greater public accountability are changing that.
Q: Has water effi ciency genuinely moved up the commercial agenda in recent years? There’s certainly more awareness and most organisations now have sustainability targets and ESG frameworks that reference water reduction. The challenge is that ambition doesn’t automatically translate into infrastructure change. In many cases, buildings are still operating with legacy controls and outdated systems that were installed decades ago. Water management is often reactive by responding to leaks, hygiene issues or billing surprises, rather than
proactive and performance-led. Energy has benefi ted from years of
metering, visibility and behavioural focus but water hasn’t yet had the same level of attention, which means ineffi ciencies can sit quietly in the background for years.
Q: Where are commercial buildings still getting it wrong? One of the biggest issues is visibility, because without clear insight into where water is being used, eff ective management becomes almost impossible. Many sites lack meaningful monitoring or rely on infrastructure that operates regardless of occupancy or demand. Systems that discharge on a fi xed schedule, rather than responding to actual usage, continue to waste signifi cant volumes across offi ces, schools, transport hubs and healthcare estates.
Another common problem is
fragmentation, a tap might be upgraded here, a valve replaced there, but without a coherent strategy. Water effi ciency works
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