£100k boost for water efficiency projects across Scotland

02 October 2024 Reading time: 2 minutes

Water retailer doubles vital funding for Scotland’s public sector

One of the UK’s largest water retailers has doubled its funding to Scotland’s public sector organisations to help fund water efficiency projects across the country.

This year, Business Stream has increased its annual Water Efficiency Fund from £50,000 to £100,000, with the aim of being able to help even more organisations across Scotland.

Business Stream, headquartered in Edinburgh, established its Public Sector Scotland (PSS) Water Efficiency Fund in 2020 as an annual initiative to assist organisations, such as local councils, schools, and universities, to deliver environmental efficiencies and financial savings through water efficiency projects.

This year, the Fund allocation process has been overseen by a judging panel of representatives from Business Stream, with adjudication from Scottish Procurement. The panel awarded funding to 13 public sector organisations spanning 16 water efficiency projects, with the projects due to commence in the coming weeks.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream said: “We’re delighted to have invested an additional £50,000 into our annual Water Efficiency Fund. By funding water efficiency projects, we can help public sector bodies in Scotland to save money and water, while also reducing their environmental impact”.

This year’s beneficiaries include National Museums Scotland, who will use their £12,500 award to conduct water conservation audits across five of their sites.

Mark Drysdale, Building Services and Energy Manager at National Museums Scotland, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have received funding from Business Stream which will help us better understand our water use so we can identify savings and work towards our sustainability goals.”

Other organisations benefiting from the fund include NHS Forth Valley, who will use their funding to install water efficient urinals and taps at seven locations and West Lothian Council, who plan to reduce water usage in the region’s schools.

Alongside providing the funding, Business Stream will also support the delivery of each project.