Across the region, water is under pressure like never before. This supply area has one of the highest per capita consumption (PCC) rates in the UK, meaning that, on average, communities we supply use more water each day than almost anywhere else in the country. When combined with climate change and a rapidly growing population, the challenge to protect local water resources is urgent and a responsibility for all.
That’s why, in 2024, we launched a new approach to Save Our Streams, where we aimed to bring the importance of water and easy ways to make water saving second nature for customers. Our goal was to help people use less water, save money on bills, and protect the region’s precious chalk streams for future generations.
Social change and understanding come from customers being provided with capability, opportunity, and motivation. And our research showed there were three main barriers preventing people from saving water. First, many customers simply didn’t realise how much water they were using. Second, they didn’t know where to start or lacked the tools to make changes. And third, some felt that saving water would be inconvenient or interfere with their routines.
With these insights, the Save Our Streams team set out to shift perceptions and show that saving water can be easy, effective, and even rewarding. Through a mix of tailored emails, digital advertising, social media content, PR, and engaging influencer partnerships, the campaign reached people where they already were; on their phones, in their inboxes, and in their gardens.
High-profile ambassadors and trusted voices helped spread the word, while a user-friendly website gave customers practical advice, personalised water-use reports, and free water-saving devices. These included tap aerators, water-efficient showerheads, and hosepipe timers, all designed to reduce water use without changing comfort or convenience and all for FREE.
We’re so proud of our customers, as 84% of them are now aware of the Save Our Streams initiative, and over 360,000 households have signed up so far. Together, they are saving more than 20 million litres of water every single day, that’s the equivalent of eight Olympic swimming pools.
The campaign also grew beyond taps and toilets. A major partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) helped inspire gardeners to think differently about water. At the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, we partnered with Sam Proctor of Chiltern Garden Design to create and share with attendees an inspiring and innovative garden. The Water Saving Garden, a beautiful, practical space showed how thoughtful planting, and clever design can reduce water use in the garden without compromising on style, elegance and enjoyment of wilder spaces.
Save Our Streams is so powerful that it’s now a movement to help customers build simple, sustainable habits, and it’s proving that everyone can play a part in protecting water for the future, without giving up the comforts of today.