The firm said that, in 2015/16, each of its two million water customers used an average of 130 litres per day – well below the national average of about 150 litres.
It said this 16.5 per cent reduction was largely due to its water metering programme, which has succeeded in making its customers more water-savvy.
Between 2010 and 2015, Southern installed 450,000 water meters in households across the region. It is the first water company to have completed the delivery of a universal metering programme, with around 90 per cent of customers now only paying for the water they use.
The company has launched a water efficiency campaign, which is ongoing and includes visits to homes, schools and businesses, free installation of water-saving gadgets, partnerships with local authorities, and better information and advice.
Source: Southern Water
Water efficiency manager Ben Earl said the reduction in water use is very much down to the company’s customers, who are gradually changing the way they use water.
“If you look back five or 10 years the figure hovered around the 155-litre mark, so small changes at home have made a big difference,” he said. “When you’re paying for what you use, this means real, tangible savings.
“We’re not just asking our customers to use less water – we’re doing the same and our leakage performance continues to be industry-leading. We are committed to taking less water from rivers and aquifers and it is vital that we all strive to avoid unnecessary wastage.”
Waterwise managing director Jacob Tompkins said: “Southern Water has a bold water efficiency programme which is so important in the South East, a government-declared ‘water-stressed’ region.
“These figures prove customers are responding brilliantly which saves them money and helps reduce the amount of water taken from the environment. It’s a win-win situation.”
The figures were revealed in Southern Water’s 2015/16 annual report, which showed a fall in operating profit of 14 per cent to £284 million. This reduction was due to a reduction in revenues of almost 3 per cent as the company aims to cut bills by 8 per cent between 2015 and 2020.
The firm said it had 167 pollution incidents in 2015 – a reduction of 43 per cent compared with 2014, and it exceeded its leakage reduction target by 4 million litres, which it said was helped greatly by its metering programme.
The company is also ahead of its target for renewables, with 17.3 per cent of its total energy use now coming from renewable sources.
Southern Water provides water and wastewater services to more than 4.6 million customers across the South East.
IMAGE: Southern Water’s supply area
Source: Southern Water