Water Plus Proactive water managementManaging water services perfectly for business

A tailored range of services for your business

Our Water Plus Essentials includes those services that make managing your water services straightforward:

Our Water Plus Advanced range offers services that will add extra value by improving your water management:

Water Plus provides precisely the range of water services each individual business requires. And through our proactive approach to water management we offer a whole host of benefits which we believe make us the most advanced partner in the business water services sector.

Our Water Plus Essentials and Water Plus Advanced services mean that you can select exactly what you need for your business. For more details speak to one of our experienced Account Managers on 0345 072 6073 or email keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

• Dedicated account management Your dedicated and knowledgeable Account Manager will be the single point of contact to manage your account and water service needs.

• Brilliant billing options We recognise that all businesses are different, with their own individual requirements, so we’ll tailor our billing and payment arrangements to suit your business needs.

• Easy account switching We’ll appoint a Switching Manager to manage the whole process, keeping you fully informed along the way, and making the process easy for you.

• Meaningful management information We believe the first step in water efficiency is understanding your water consumption and overall usage. So we’ll provide you with a suite of reports to help you manage your water accounts.

• Water efficiency Being water efficient can save you money and our structured process begins with a comprehensive audit of your water use with recommendations on improvements.

• Smart metering Smart metering provides you with detailed data on your consumption which can be used to identify potential problems and areas where water and costs could be saved.

• Leak detection and repair Leaks often go undetected but our leakage specialists will identify problems and can repair leaks as well.

• Contingency planning and emergency water We can create a plan to make sure you have arrangements in place to deal with any interruption to the water supply.

Full details of our Water Plus Advanced services are available on our product sheets.

About Water PlusWater Plus has been created to meet the water service needs of business customers and organisations in the open water markets in England and Scotland. It is a joint venture between the two largest FTSE 100 water companies, Severn Trent and United Utilities. Water Plus services over 360,000 business customers and is the largest water retailer in the UK. We’re experienced in switching customers nationwide and our products and services have been built to meet the needs of business customers.

We’ve put together the best team in the businessIn any business, it’s the people who make the real difference and at Water Plus our people are the perfect combination of fresh new thinking and real depth of experience in water, business or their specialist technical areas. A refreshingly different combination that makes us stand-out from other retailers.

Water Plus Two Smithfield Leonard Coates Way Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST1 4FD

Web: water-plus.co.uk

Registered in England & Wales. Water Plus Group Limited (company number 10012579), Water Plus Limited (company number 04141390) and Water Plus Select Limited (company number 03511659), Registered office: Two Smithfield, Leonard Coates Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4FD. VAT Number 243 6634 06.

Contact us nowTel: 0345 072 6073 Email: keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

Water Plus Essentials Water Plus Essentials is our core range of business water services which we tailor to your needs. Services include account management, billing, payments, reporting and management information.

Water PlusEssentials

At Water Plus we recognise that all businesses are different with their own individual processes, timescales and ways of working. We’ll tailor your billing and payment arrangements to suit your specifi c business requirements.

Our fl exible billing system can provide bills in a variety of formats including paperless, electronic or traditionally posted bills.

Water Plus can provide a single consolidated bill for all sites across the UK. The consolidated bill will show the costs for the water and waste water charges for all your individual sites – reducing the number of bills that need to be processed, saving you time and money.

If you need billing information supplied in an electronic or EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) format so that you can input the data directly into your accounting or bill validation software, we can do that. Just let us know what format you need.

And what’s more, with Water Plus you have the fl exibility you need on the billing frequency. We’ll provide your bills when you want them to fi t with your fi nancial calendar. We also have an online account portal where you can view all your bills and reports.

Water Plus also offers a range of fl exible payment terms to suit your payment cycles.

Brilliant billing options

Dedicated account managementFrom the fi rst contact with Water Plus you’ll be assigned a dedicated Account Manager. Water Plus Account Managers have many years of experience in the water industry and specialist knowledge of different types of industry and sectors. So you can be sure that you’ll be working with an experienced Account Manager who understands your business needs.

Your Account Manager will be your single point of contact overseeing all aspects of your account backed by a specialist team of case managers to ensure that any queries are resolved quickly.

Our Account Managers are there to add value to your business by:

• Reviewing your account and ensuring your portfolio is up to date – ensuring that data, site records and services are accurate

• Establishing budgets, consumption forecasts and tolerances for accurate fi nancial planning

• Providing and interpreting meaningful management information to understand your water consumption and costs

• Keeping you informed and updated on planned and unplanned interruptions to the supply, water quality or other operational issues to minimise disruption to your business

• Championing any issues with the water wholesaler on your behalf

• Working with you on your long-term approach for water management

• Providing access to additional services to support your business including:

- Water audits and effi ciency services

- Leak detection and repair services

- Water network maintenance, repair and development

- Smart metering and provision of consumption data

- Contingency planning and emergency water services

- Sustainability and alternative water supplies such as rain and grey water harvesting

charges for all your individual sites – reducing the number of bills that need to be processed, saving

Water Plus also offers a range of fl exible payment terms to suit your payment cycles.

Easy account switching

Meaningful management information At Water Plus we believe that the fi rst step in being water effi cient is knowing your consumption patterns and overall usage. We’ll provide you with a suite of reports to help you manage your water accounts and consumption.

Our reports will enable you to:

• Forecast and manage your water costs, including like for like and peer comparisons enabling you to benchmark your performance

• Identify areas of high usage and opportunities to reduce costs

• Spot changes in water consumption which might indicate a leak and the waste of water

• Manage and maintain your site portfolio

Water Plus has a dedicated Management Information team, producing both standard and bespoke reports.

Here’s a selection of what we can offer:

• Water management dashboard Details spend and consumption for all sites in

a series of graphs and tables, with comparisons against previous periods to show how consumption has changed.

• Water Budget Forecast Provides a forecast on charges for the next

fi nancial year enabling you to budget accurately.

• Customer Portfolio Report Shows your current portfolio of sites and changes

both in and out to make sure the portfolio is kept up to date.

• Service performance Provides a summary of our performance against

service standards.

As you might imagine, we’ve put everything necessary in place to make switching your business water services to Water Plus quick, easy and hassle-free. We’ll manage the whole process for you.

It all starts with our customer transfer process managed by our Switching Team. This has been refi ned using their experience of transferring multiple sites in Scotland and each case is headed by a dedicated Switching Manager who plans and oversees the process.

They also manage all aspects of the transfer, liaising with the relevant wholesalers and keeping you informed every step of the way.

For more details speak to one of our experienced Account ManagersTelephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

Water Plus Two Smithfield Leonard Coates Way Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST1 4FD

Web: water-plus.co.uk

Registered in England & Wales. Water Plus Group Limited (company number 10012579),Water Plus Limited (company number 04141390) and Water Plus Select Limited (company number 03511659), Registered office: Two Smithfield, Leonard Coates Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4FD. VAT Number 243 6634 06.

Contact us nowTel: 0345 072 6073 Email: keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

Switching

The process to switch to Water Plus actually starts before you become a Water Plus customer when we gather all your site details for pricing.

Once you’ve decided to switch we then follow our simple switching process.

Water Plus switching process

1. Collate customer site information

We’ll take the data we’ve collated and review it with you to make sure we have a full and accurate list of all the Supply Point Identification Numbers (SPIDs). In the first instance this enables us to price accurately but is essential to make the transfer process go smoothly.

2. Data verification

Our comprehensive data validation process includes:

• We check that the list of premises provided matches the name and data recorded on CMOS/CMA (the industry databases in England and Scotland)

• We highlight any possible duplication of sites and/or charges before pricing and transfer

• We check that the sites are eligible to be transferred

Note: not all sites can be transferred so we’ll check that the SPIDs are transferable and eligible to switch, are not showing as deregistered and are not subject to temporary or permanent disconnection.

3. Transfer process

Once contracts are signed, and a transfer date has been agreed, we’ll then do the rest. Your Switching Manager will notify CMOS/CMA about the sites to be transferred to Water Plus and in turn CMOS/CMA will instruct the current retailer. Your Switching Manager will keep you informed throughout the process with regular updates on progress.

The current retailer can object to the transfer if the site is subject to a valid contract or if there is an outstanding debt on the account (debt has to be more than 90 days old).

If an objection is received Water Plus will act as the key link between you and the outgoing retailer to resolve the matter.

If the matter cannot be resolved immediately or there are outstanding data queries we may agree to go ahead with the transfer of the allowable sites and then work with the outgoing retailer on your behalf to complete the switch of the remaining sites.

We will use the data from the validation exercise to set up your accounts on our billing system. Your Switching Manager will check when your sites have switched and will confirm that the process is complete. The switching process should be completed within 28 working days.

Our dedicated Switching Team will oversee the entire switching process and we’ll assign a Switching Manager, who will keep you fully informed along the way.

Switching to Water Plus is easy. We’ll manage the whole process for you

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4. Meter reads

As your new supplier Water Plus is responsible for obtaining meter readings for all the sites.

These meter readings will act as the closing reading for the outgoing retailer and the opening reading for the Water Plus account.

All meters will be read within two days either side of the transfer date by taking a physical read obtained by Water Plus, a customer read or, if we cannot obtain an actual reading (because of access restrictions etc.), we will use an estimated reading until such time as an actual reading is obtained.

5. Bills the way you want them

We will have captured your preferred billing format and frequency as part of the contracting process, so we’ll use this information as part of your account set-up. You’ll receive a closing invoice from the outgoing retailer, up to the date of the transfer, followed by bills from Water Plus in the agreed format. When it comes to providing you with your fi rst bill we’ll go through this with you to ensure that everything is correct.

6. Welcome to Water Plus

Once we’ve got all the set-up completed, we’ll formally welcome you to Water Plus, making sure everything is in place for you to use your Water Plus team and account including:

• Introductions to your key contacts including your Account Manager and the Corporate Service Desk

• Sending you your Welcome Pack including key information you may need along with emergency contact details

• Providing you with access to our online portal for access to your bills

• Setting up meetings to prepare your Customer Development Plan

We will also complete the transfer of any remaining sites and will be happy to transfer any further sites.

As a further benefi t of switching to Water Plus we will also validate your bills – checking for opportunities that could result in cost savings such as:

• When properties show a potentially incorrect banding for drainage charges

• Making sure that meter sizes that are being charged for do not exceed the actual installed physical meter sizes and that the sewer chargeable meter sizes do not exceed the water chargeable sizes

• Ensuring meter size is not too large for the water actually being used

• Highlighting other potential discrepancies that may be based on historical data

Switching

1. Collate customersite information

2. Data verifi cation

3. Transfer process

4. Meter reads

5. Bills the wayyou want them

6. Welcome toWater Plus

For more details speak to one of our experienced Account ManagersTelephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

water-plus.co.uk

As a first step to help our customers become more water efficient we’ll undertake a water audit. Working through a logical, tested process our water audit follows four stages and is designed to:

• Provide an understanding of how, where and when water is being used

• Enable benchmarking comparisons with similar sites

• Identify immediate issues that can then be resolved, leading to water savings

• Make recommendations on how to be more water efficient including investing in water efficiency equipment

• Allow continual assessment of the impact of the changes

Water Plus efficiency process

1. BenchmarkingWe start by reviewing data from recent bills and we gather information from you about how the sites operate. This enables us to establish an initial baseline of water consumption. We then compare this with other sites in your organisation or similar types of sites, to pinpoint those which have higher than expected usage.

2. Initial data analysisThe data audit can highlight undetected leaks or unusual usage patterns. If a leak is suspected we can deploy a specialist engineer to locate and repair the problem. If the audit indicates usage that can’t be easily explained we often recommend the use of automatic meter readings (AMRs) to provide more detailed information.

With the immediate issues resolved we adjust the baseline water consumption and decide on the next actions.

Water efficiency is about saving you money on your water and energy bills, but it’s also a means of achieving your environmental and sustainability targets. Water Plus has considerable expertise in water efficiency and a range of products and services to help you.

Improvingwater efficiencyin your business

Water efficiency

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3. Site auditThe next step is a site-based water audit which can be completed using our unique, cutting edge Water Effi ciency App. This process captures information from across your site for multiple washrooms, kitchens and water consumption points, including fl ow rates for each appliance and details of any faulty or leaking appliances.

We provide a summary report covering the whole of your portfolio, which captures the analysis, makes recommendations and identifi es any potential savings.

You can use the Water Effi ciency App to complete the audit yourself or we can provide a trained water auditor to visit the site and undertake the audit.

4. Savings implementation Based on the audit, various measures and approved water effi ciency products may be recommended which are available through the Water Plus shop. Where possible we will include a cost/benefi t analysis and most products that are recommended will pay back within 12 months.

The impact of our recommendations can then be monitored and the Water Effi ciency App will provide a water account for the site, allowing continuous review of the water use over time.

Watereffi ciency

the site and undertake the audit.

For more details speak to one of our experiencedAccount Managers

Telephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

water-plus.co.uk

Smart meters produce automated meter readings (AMRs) which help both you and your business water supplier monitor your water usage. This means that you know exactly how much water you’re using, and, if you can measure it, you can start to manage your consumption and be more efficient. Reducing what you use and importantly, what you pay for.

Smart metering will enable you to:

• Manage water consumption and identify savings

• Manage your costs against budgets

• Identify and respond quickly to issues such as leaks, helping to avoid unnecessary costs

• Benchmark against other premises in your portfolio and similar organisations

• Be alerted to issues out of hours, which might otherwise go unnoticed

• Monitor and demonstrate the impact of water saving initiatives

How does smart metering work?Smart metering works by adding a logger to your water meter. In most cases the logger will work with your existing meter so there is no need to replace your meter and attaching the logger is a very simple process. The logger measures the flow of water through the water meter at regular intervals and transmits the information into a database.

Water Plus will lease the loggers to you for an agreed time period and we’ll install them, which is done without any interruption to your water supply. As the loggers are leased from us we’ll be responsible for maintaining them.

Understanding your water consumption and getting smart with your data

Smartmetering

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Smart metering is a great way to understand your water consumption and to identify areas where you can save money.

Smart metering data portalThe information is delivered in real time via a secure portal and can be provided at site level or, for complex operations, more detailed data can be provided using sub-meters and loggers across the whole site. Information for multiple sites can be displayed so that site usage can be compared, and the data provides the insight needed to proactively manage your water consumption.

A suite of reports is available on the data portal. The reports are effective at demonstrating where and when water is being used, including:

• The volume and cost of water being used

• Daily and weekly water usage patterns

• Comparisons against a consumption or cost forecast enabling you to manage against budgets

• Comparisons against other sites in your organisation or benchmarked against similar types of site

We can also set up alerts to provide an early warning if the expected level of consumption is exceeded. An email is triggered to a nominated person or your Water Plus Account Manager, or both, so that the increased consumption can be investigated.

Smartmetering

water-plus.co.uk

For more details speak to one of our experiencedAccount Managers

Telephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

Contingency planningFrom single-site businesses to national portfolios with multiple premises, we can help any company prepare for an interruption to the water supply by putting in place a bespoke plan.

Our process starts with a site survey to understand your water requirements, review any on-site water storage facilities and identify changes that might need to be made to your site or network.

Benefits• A viable contingency plan

• Service provision to vulnerable and/or sensitive sites

• Agreed roles and responsibilities

• Detailed site information and emergency contacts

• 24/7 contact provision

• Agreed response times

Water network improvementWith information from the site survey we’ll work with you to develop your contingency plan. This could include the installation of injection points so that water can be added to your system, the addition of water storage facilities or even measures as simple as creating access plans so that water tankers can get on to your site easily.

Whether you use water as an integral part of your production process, or just for everyday use like drinks, cleaning and toilets, an interruption to the water supply has the potential to disrupt your business. Water Plus can help you plan for such a situation and implement measures to make sure your business can stay up and running, with the minimum amount of hassle.

Putting plans in place to cope with supply interruptions

Contingency planning and emergency water

water-plus.co.uk

Contingency planning and emergency water

Emergency supply of water

In the event of a planned or unplanned interruption to your water supply, we can arrange for water to be available 24/7 and delivered quickly to your site so that you can continue to operate whilst the issue is resolved. We have a range of delivery and volume options to suit your circumstances and needs:

• Bulk water deliveryWe can deliver 10,000 to 30,000 litres of water per delivery to fi ll reservoirs, storage tanks, or to inject directly into your network.

• Water storage If you do not have on-site storage facilities we can provide static tanks with a capacity of up to 10,000 litres. We’ll deliver quality-assured water to

the site, refi ll as required and carry out full maintenance, including testing water quality and disinfection if the facility is required for longer periods.

• Bottled waterThis can be supplied in large quantities and delivered directly to where it’s needed. We are also able to provide this service for off-site events.

With a comprehensive plan in place you’ll know that you will be able to operate business as usual if there is an interruption to supply.

water-plus.co.uk

We’ll deliver quality-assured water to

water-plus.co.uk

For more details speak to one of our experiencedAccount Managers

Telephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk

Leaks - the unseen problemIn most cases, leaks are not visible on the surface as water naturally runs away underground, so a leak can go undetected for weeks or months. This is not only a waste of water but is also a waste of money as leaking water that has gone through the meter is chargeable.

Costs can escalate quickly if left unrepaired. The loss of one cubic metre (1,000 litres) of water an hour, if left unaddressed, could cost your business:

• £67.44 per day

• £472.08 per week

• £24,615.60 per year*

Identifying a leakIf you have an unexplained increase in your water bill installing smart meters is a good way of identifying potential leaks.

If you suspect there’s a leak somewhere on your network our experienced

leakage specialists can undertake a leak detection survey using a number of techniques, including acoustic detection which involves listening to your network. They can locate most leaks without the need to excavate, avoiding disruption to your business.

When a leak is located, our engineers will recommend how best to repair it and then undertake any work that is required. We always try to repair rather than replace the existing infrastructure to minimise cost and disruption, and in the majority of cases our customers can continue with business as usual while the work is completed.

Leak detectionand repair

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*Figures calculated against 2016-2017 measured water and waste water charges.

Leak detectionand repair

The most commonly used methods we use to repair leaks are:

• Under-pressure mains repair We can often complete the repair without shutting down supply to your premises, meaning that there’s no disruption to supply at any stage in the repair work.

• Overland mains bypass If the repair work does require a shutdown of the affected part of your network, we will re-route the water supply above ground. This way you still have access to water for the duration of the work.

• Line stopping On larger works we can isolate the damaged section of the network and complete repairs without loss of supply, stopping water from passing through the affected area while work is carried out.

We understand that business continuity is vitally important to our customers, so we can make alternative repair options available, including conducting out-of-hours or weekend work if required.

water-plus.co.uk

For more details speak to one of our experiencedAccount Managers

Telephone:0345 072 6073Email:keyaccountmanagement@water-plus.co.uk