Scotland’s non-domestic water market is celebrating 10 years of being open to competition, having paved the way for businesses to choose their water supplier in April 2008.
The country’s first non-domestic retailer, Business Stream said it has delivered more than £160 million of savings to customers since then.
It formed in 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish Water and expanded its operation in April 2017 when it acquired the non-household customer base of Southern Water, after the market opened in England.
The English water retail market – the largest of its kind in the world – marked its first anniversary on 1 April. Research from Ofwat reveals only 2.9 per cent of the total 1.2 million of eligible customers in the market switched in the first year.
Jo Dow, chief executive at Business Stream, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Scottish market and, simultaneously, the first anniversary of the English market.
“It’s been an exciting time for the water industry and I’m proud of the role we have played, advocating competition for customers and delivering over £160 million of benefits for our customers to date. Our focus now is on the next decade and ensuring that we continue to evolve and enhance our services and solutions in line with our customers’ needs.”
Business Stream said it has helped customers conserve more than 24 billion litres of water. Financial benefits include £53 million in water efficiency savings, more than £99 million in discounts and £7 million in energy efficiency savings.
A Scottish government spokesman, added: “Ten years on, Scotland has a dynamic retail market offering excellent opportunities to customers. A number of licensed providers engage successfully in the markets in Scotland.
“Scotland has a strong and independent regulatory framework that supports the performance of the water industry and ensures a fully competitive retail market.”
Business Stream recently appointed Stuart Wallace, chief operating officer of Forth Ports, as a non-executive director. The company also secured a three-year contract with Greggs last month.