Water efficiency winners selected for England and Wales

Laundry Behaviours Lab: Identifying the Motivations That Make Laundry Naturally More Water Efficient

Lead: Weir The Agency

£210,218.50

Anglian Water Services, Michelle Blake & Associates, Southern Water Services.

Most people do not think about water when they do their laundry. This project aims to change behaviour without ever asking people to save water. Instead, it explores what already motivates people to wash less often, run fuller loads, or choose gentler cycles: saving time, protecting their clothes, reducing hassle, or simply getting fresher results. Using qualitative research with around 100 households across England and Wales, followed by creative concept testing with focus groups, the project will identify the most compelling messages for shifting laundry habits in a water-efficient direction. The outputs will provide water companies and the national Water Efficiency Campaign with evidence-backed messages and a clear case for scaling the approach, with implications for consumer labelling policy.

MyWaterGPT: Get Insights and Control Your Water Use Easily at Any Time Using a Simple Chat Tool

Lead: Advizzo, part of Calisen Group (Holdings).

£857,873.26

Calisen Group (Holdings), South West Water, Spring Innovation, Waterwise, WRc (Water Research Centre).

MyWaterGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence tool designed to help water customers understand and reduce their usage through a simple chat interface. Drawing on smart meter data where available, it delivers personalised, actionable insights without requiring any personally identifiable information. The system acts as a first point of contact for customer queries, helping people spot leaks, track consumption patterns, and take targeted steps to cut their water use. The pilot will run across the regions served by South West Water, SES Water and Bristol Water, and aims to reduce unnecessary calls to water companies while increasing customer engagement and trust. It represents the first sector-specific large language model of its kind in the UK water industry.

The WIN Initiative: Enabling Non-Household Water Reduction Through an Innovative Action-Driven Water-Insurance Nexus (Win)

Lead: Quensus

£495,527

Aviva, Direk, Everflow, University of Southampton, Waterwise, Wates Group, Weir The Agency.

Commercial buildings across England and Wales lose between 10- and 30 per cent of their water to leaks and continuous flow, yet facility managers often lack the context to distinguish genuine operational use from avoidable waste. The Win Initiative addresses this by combining fixture-level sensor technology from Quensus with occupancy and energy analytics from Direk, creating a fused data layer that turns raw readings into prioritised, actionable repair tasks. The 18-month trial will cover 30 commercial buildings fitted with more 1,000 sensors. A key strand of the project tests whether linking water efficiency to insurance risk and premiums through a new Water Management Plan standard could transform water saving from a voluntary commitment into a financially motivated one, with insurer Aviva exploring how the standard might unlock benefits for building owners.

Water Warriors: Actionable Insights to Future Customers

Lead: Water Research Centre Limited

£364,752.49

Croasdell Consultancy, Pennon Group, Southern Water Services Limited, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Yorkshire Water Services Limited.

Water Warriors places primary school children at the heart of household water saving. Designed around the Key Stage 2 curriculum, the programme embeds water efficiency across subjects such as science, maths, English and art, rather than treating it as a one-off lesson. Pupils investigate how water is used in their own homes, identify which everyday habits drive demand, and translate their findings into structured challenges for their families. The project draws on research showing that children can be effective agents of lasting behaviour change within households, creating an intergenerational loop that converts awareness into real reductions. By positioning water efficiency as a values-driven practice rather than a chore, the programme aims to build habits that endure well beyond the classroom.

Workplace Water Wins: An Insights-Led Approach to More Water Efficient Business Behaviours

Lead: Waterscan Limited

£676,816.01

Anglian Water Services Limited, Claremont Communications Ltd, David Lloyd Leisure, Greene King, John Lewis Partnership, Morrisons, Northumbrian Water, Sainsbury’s, Stonegate, University of Surrey, Institute for Sustainability, Whitbread, WRc (Water Research Centre), Yorkshire Water Services Limited.

Workplace Water Wins targets water use in commercial settings by giving staff the insight and training needed to change their everyday behaviour. The project will install sub-metering across sites in three sectors (pubs, supermarkets, and hospitality and leisure) to build a detailed picture of where water is used and where savings are available. Two behavioural interventions will then be tested using randomised controlled trials: one providing real-time visibility of water use at the point of consumption, the other delivering structured staff training tailored to each business context. The trials are co-designed with major brands including Greene King, Whitbread, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, ensuring the findings are grounded in real commercial environments and readily transferable across the wider sector.

The Water Efficiency Lab is delivered by innovation prize experts Challenge Works (part of Nesta), in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities, and funded by Ofwat’s Water Efficiency Fund. The second Water Efficiency Lab (Wel 2) – which will be focused on innovations to reduce customer-side leaks in homes and businesses – will open for entries on 3 August.

To find out more about the winners and future competitions, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org.