SOUTH West Water has launched a new campaign to support customers in becoming water efficient and benefitting from more affordable bills whilst helping to protect the environment.

The “Water is Precious” campaign will work with customers to demonstrate the true value of water in our region and help them to save this precious resource and save money as we all work to keep the environment we live in, and rely on, thriving.

Climate change makes it more difficult to reliably capture and store water and South West Water is working to deliver more drinkable water from an increasingly scarce natural resource.

This pushes up the true cost of water, both to the planet and its people.

Through the Water is Precious campaign, South West Water is asking customers to use water more efficiently, and is playing its part with a £125 million investment to increase water resources.

By repurposing disused quarries, introducing desalination to Cornwall for the first time, and continuing to find and fix more leaks than ever before, by 2025 it will boost the region’s resources in Cornwall by around 45 per cent and in Devon by around 30 per cent.

Laura Flowerdew, South West Water’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, said: “Capturing, filtering, treating, storing and delivering water is at the heart of our business, but in doing this we need to minimise the cost to our ecosystems and our landscapes as we take water out of the environment and build more storage and infrastructure.

“Reducing water consumption is important not just for the hotter months of the year. Through the Water is Precious campaign we’re working with customers year-round to make positive changes that will conserve water, save money and protect the beautiful environment we all treasure.”

A key priority for South West Water’s 2025-2030 Business Plan is the introduction of new and innovative tariffs to deliver fairer charging structures, where customers who use less, pay less.

Laura added: “Our customers have told us they want us to find new ways of charging and we want to make sure that the bills our customers pay are fair and reflect their usage.

“Over the course of this year and beyond, we will continue to engage with customers and stake-holders, and work with our communities, to run pilots to understand what works well and what our customers consider to be fair ways of charging."

The company we will use this knowledge to work with customers, Government, regulators and the Consumer Council for Water to help to roll out improved ways of charging across the region.

The first tariff trial began on February 1, 2024 and will see all household customers in Cornwall receive a credit to their bill if the county collectively reduces its water consumption between now and April 30.

A payment of £30 will be credited to each customer if a 10 per cent reduction in water use is seen across Cornwall, or a £10 credit will be given if demand reduces by five per cent over the same period.