House of Fraser

One Planet, One Team. We worked with House of Fraser to install AMRs and improve their water efficiency.

07 November 2016 Reading time: 4 minutes

Improving efficiency across House of Fraser’s 60 stores.

Working closely with the retailer to develop a water management strategy to improve control and reducing water consumption. 

The Challenge

House of Fraser’s ‘One Planet, One Team’ strategy had already brought about sustainability benefits across its 60 stores, but the retailer wanted to improve its water efficiency further, reducing costs in the process. Who better to assist than Business Stream who’d already worked successfully with the company in Scotland. 

The Solution

We installed automated meter readers (AMRs) into a number of stores across England to record meter readings and flow rates remotely and in real-time. As a result, invoices are based on AMR data, which is more accurate than conventional meter reading, allowing the company to benchmark the performance of stores. The AMRs also helped to identify inefficiencies and monitor the progress of any remedial or efficiency measures introduced. 

We made it simpler for House of Fraser by introducing consolidated billing for the 11 stores supplied water by us. This meant they received with a single, itemised statement. A bill validation exercise was carried out to ensure the accuracy of historic water billing for all of the organisation’s sites across England, identifying any charges billed in error by previous suppliers for cost recovery. An overall water management strategy was also developed to help improve control and reduce water consumption, including sub-metering and the introduction of water saving devices. 

The Successful Outcome

  • House of Fraser now has a better understanding of its water usage, which in turn has enabled the company to reduce environmental impact and cut costs
  • The accurate readings provided by House of Fraser’s AMRs mean the number of estimated bills is reduced, providing greater certainty about usage levels and costs 
  • The consolidated billing covering the 11 stores supplied by Business Stream has reduced management time in reviewing and processing invoices 
  • We are supporting them with their long term aim to completely remove estimated readings from the billing process 
  • The ability to detect leaks has further helped House of Fraser to minimise the time and costs involved in identifying and fixing problems 

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