Audits. Let’s face it: the word hardly conjures up pleasant
connotations. At best, it’s usually synonymous with a lot of hassle and a time
consuming process that requires a lot of admin on your part. It is rarely something
to be sought out.
But when it comes to a water audit, it’s a completely
different equation and not only could it end up saving you money, but you could
also see money refunded to you. What’s more, it takes very little from you to
get the process started and will only usually cost you a small fee, which you
will likely soon win back. You know what they say about win win situations.
The fact of the matter is that most of us spend too much on
our water bills. This comes down to a number of factors. The first and most
obvious is that a lot of us are guilty of wasting our water. It’s easy enough
to do and unless we’re conscious of not letting taps overflow or putting
environmentally friendly measures in place, like low flow aerators on our
faucets, we tend to be pretty wasteful with what we use. Not only does this
result in our bills skyrocketing in costs, but it’s also harmful to the
environment and has a serious knock on effect on our carbon footprint. Whether
we like it or not, the world’s source of water is finite and, at the moment,
we’re currently using beyond our means. Which is another reason to cut back a
bit, if those hefty utility bills weren’t enough. The impact can be bad enough
when it occurs of a smaller, domestic scale; imagine it on an industrial scale,
whether that’s from a large company or a construction site and you get an idea
of the implications on the kind of money you could be forking out as a result.
Of course, it’s not always down to our own actions that we
can suddenly see skyrocketing costs. High prices can be down to the water
company overcharging without you realising. When you think of the charges that
are on your water bill, few of us are aware of how much we should be spending.
For the most part, it can be a list of charges we accept without necessarily
understanding and certainly not analysing. But these fees aren’t always
correct. It has been proven that many water companies are guilty of
overcharging for their water, which means you could be paying out unnecessarily
money you don’t owe. This might not be down to the water company, though,
either. A faulty meter is a common problem that could be sending back prices
that aren’t reflective of your actual use. Whatever the reason behind it, the
wrong fees can be responsible for a substantial backlog of money unnecessarily
spent.
Finally, escalating costs could also be an indicator that
something isn’t right with your plumbing system. Sudden high costs could signal
a water leak and unfortunately, this can go unnoticed as signs of a leak often just
do not show up at all. Unless you keep track of your utility bills carefully,
this could go untended, which in turn could cause serious structural damage to
your property. Costly bills won’t be your only problem when your property requires
serious work to repair anything from ruined paintwork to structural damage!
This is where the audit comes in handy and, as mentioned, it
requires the minimal effort from you and only a fraction of the money you’re
likely to see returning to you. All it takes from you is finding a trusted
company, like H2O Building Services, with experts on board to carry out the
audit for you. All you’ll need to supply them with is the past six months’
worth of water and wastewater bills for your property. From these, they will
collate the information and put it into a database that will then enable them
to get an idea of the kind of water you’re using on a daily basis, how much is
wasted and the kind of fees you are incurring as a result. After this, they can
then produce a report on their findings, which they can deliver back to you,
the client.
So that being said, what’s the real incentive to have this
done? The report will give them a better understanding of what you’re paying
out for and why, which in turn will flag up any issues that don’t correlate.
From your bills, they will be able to give you tips on when and where you’re
overusing and wasting water and where and how you can afford to cut back, to
save you money and help the environment in turn. Any unusual charges they can
also address. If the audit shows that your water company is overcharging you,
the experts will be aware of this and can then work on your behalf to contact
the water company and not only stop these charges for the future, but also get
back the money you owe, which could end up being a substantial refund. If
you’re a business based in Scotland, you will also have the option to switch
your water providers, for a better service and rates, which auditors will also
be able to advise you on. Alternatively, if it’s down to a faulty meter, they
will also be able to let you know and ensure you receive a new one, to stop any
future miscalculations that end up costing you money. Finally, they’ll also be
able to pinpoint and immediately address any sudden and unexpected peaks in
water usage or expenditure that don’t add up. If this is down to a water leak,
this will help you to address and deal with the problem, before it has any farther-reaching
implications for you and your property, potentially saving you hundreds in
potential work you’d have to do on your property, should the problem be left
unheeded.
So when you consider the fact that not only will you be
saving money in the future, but you could see a substantial claim refunded to
you in the meantime, there really isn’t any more incentive necessary to look
into a water audit for you and your property today.
If you’d like more information about how a water audit could
save you money please visit the H20 Building Services website - http://www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk
