Quensus wins UK grant to hunt hidden water waste in commercial buildings
What's the deal? QuensusDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a smart water management technology company, has won a grant through the first round of the Water Efficiency Lab (WEL1) to run The WIN Initiative, a project targeting concealed water waste in commercial buildings. The lab is run by OfwatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Challenge WorksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with backing from ArupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Isle UtilitiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? An 18-month trial will install upwards of 1,000 water and occupancy sensors across 30 commercial buildings. By overlaying consumption with how each building is actually used, it aims to separate genuine waste from expected usage — flagging leaks, irregular patterns and inefficient routines that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The system converts raw meter readings into prioritised fix lists for facilities teams. Quensus is delivering the project with partners including Aviva, WatesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, EverflowDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the University of Surrey.
Why insurance? Beyond the trial, the project will explore an insurance-backed efficiency standard for commercial premises. By uniting insurers, water companies and technology providers around verified monitoring data, it hopes to cut the financial and environmental costs of escape-of-water events and undetected leaks in large estates.
"By fusing water data with occupancy context, we give facilities teams the exact insights needed to take immediate action," said Quensus chief executive officer Dr Daniel Simmons.
The money: The grant is the first tranche of a wider programme financed through Ofwat's Water Efficiency Fund. Seven projects were selected in this first round, sharing a £5 million prize. A total of £25 million will be distributed through annual competitions between 2025 and 2030, each targeting a different barrier to water efficiency.
The signal: Regulators are increasingly funding data-driven fixes for water waste rather than infrastructure alone. Pairing consumption data with insurance incentives points to a market where efficiency becomes a measurable, verified standard — and a commercial asset.
Read more: FinTech Global
