Business water retailer Water Plus has won contracts worth more than £45 million since the opening of the non-domestic water market in England just three months ago.
The company, a joint venture between FTSE 100-listed United Utilities and Severn Trent, has also saved businesses who switched to the business water retailer over £1 million, since the start of April.
In water efficiency work, Water Plus has saved organisations more than 800,000 cubic metres (800 million litres) of water - that's enough to fill 339 Olympic sized swimming pools.
It announced the figures as it marked its first birthday in June - a year on from when United Utilities and Severn Trent Water secured permission from the Competition and Markets Authority to create a company specifically designed for the new business water market.
The contracts Water Plus has won are to supply water and wastewater services, including account management, billing, meter reading and water efficiency advice for organisations that have sites across the UK.
Sue Amies-King, Chief Executive of Water Plus, said: "It's early days in the new water market in England but we are happy with the levels of activity we've seen so far and that businesses are choosing us as their partner in water retail and water management.
"We have designed our operation and approach with business customers in mind right from the start. We are the largest retailer in the market and our scale has allowed us to invest in technology so we can provide what our customers need and to make dealing with water bills straightforward. Our systems are all cloud-based which means we are agile and can respond quickly to changes in the new water market. There's been a good reaction across business sectors to our offer and what we can do for businesses."
As a joint venture formed by United Utilities and Severn Trent Water, it has the water experts from the two water companies and provides services including billing, meter reading, account management and water efficiency advice for businesses of all sizes.
It has also recently secured places on frameworks which will allow it to be a water, wastewater and ancillary services supplier to public sector organisations across the UK.
One of those is the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework which will allow it to bid for work as a water, waste water and ancillary services supplier to public sector organisations across the UK. Securing a place on the CCS framework, alongside other suppliers, gives Water Plus access to a potential market worth nearly £1bn in revenue. The CCS said the framework should save the public sector more than £20 million over four years.
Sue said: "We've brought in new people with fresh new ideas along with a team of water experts who transferred from the two water companies and already know all about the water industry.
"We've also increased the number of people we employ. Our people have been chosen for their great attitude and broad retail, customer service and finance expertise across sectors."
The water retailer, which employs 400 people, has even created a water efficiency app, designed by water experts, to help businesses identify where they could make savings on the water they use.
Water Plus is the largest business water retailer in England, serving more than 350,000 business customers.
Speaking about the new water market, Sue said: "It's an exciting change which will drive an improved range of services for businesses across the UK. Charges are unlikely to vary dramatically, but service and water management support will. So choosing a partner that can work with you to save time and to add value is important.
"In our experience, time and money savings can be made across all businesses and organisations - from the corner shop, to a school or a large manufacturing business with complex water or wastewater processes.
There are a number of ways to save on costs, reduce consumption and reduce administration."
More information about the changes in the water market in England can be found at www.water-plus.co.uk [1]