How to Reduce Water Bills in Hotels and Restaurants

Hospitality businesses use a lot of water. Kitchens, dishwashers, laundry, guest bathrooms, ice machines and cleaning all add up. Because wastewater charges often follow the volume of water supplied, every litre saved can reduce two parts of your bill. This guide covers practical steps for hotels, pubs, cafés and restaurants – and how to check you are being billed correctly.

Key takeaways

• Start by understanding when and where you use water.
• Leaks and running toilets can waste water around the clock.
• Kitchen equipment and dishwashing are often the biggest users.
• Staff habits matter as much as equipment.
• Check your bill for estimated readings and charges that may not apply.

Know your baseline

Before changing anything, get a clear picture of current usage. Read your meter at the same time each day for a fortnight, including when you are closed. Work out the daily average and note busy and quiet days. This baseline tells you whether changes are working and helps you spot problems quickly.

The overnight test

Read the meter last thing at night and again before staff arrive. If nothing should be running – no dishwasher cycles, no laundry, no guest use – the reading should barely move. Movement suggests a leak, a stuck valve or equipment running when it should not. Our consumption and leak anomaly check looks for this kind of pattern across your billing history.

In the kitchen

• Run dishwashers full. Half loads use nearly as much water as full ones.
• Avoid running taps to thaw food. Plan ahead and defrost in the fridge where safe to do so.
• Check pre-rinse spray valves. Low-flow versions are available and are worth considering when replacing.
• Scrape rather than rinse. Dry-scraping plates before washing cuts rinse water.
• Look at ice machines and combination ovens. Check settings and service them, as faulty valves can waste water continuously.
• Fix dripping taps promptly. A small drip runs all day, every day.

In guest rooms and washrooms

• Check toilets for leaks. A few drops of food colouring in the cistern will show up in the bowl if a flush valve is leaking.
• Consider flow regulators on basin taps and showers, chosen to keep guest comfort acceptable.
• Review urinal flushing. Uncontrolled urinals can flush around the clock; controls that flush only when used can make a difference.
• Offer towel and linen reuse for longer stays, which also reduces laundry water.

Laundry

If you launder on site, run machines full, choose efficient programmes and keep equipment maintained. If you outsource laundry, your water use will be lower, but compare the overall costs carefully.

Seasonal patterns

Hospitality usage often rises and falls with the seasons, events and holidays. Compare each month with the same month last year rather than with the previous month. A seaside hotel will naturally use more water in August than in February, but if this August is far higher than last August with similar occupancy, it is worth investigating.

Outside areas

• Sweep terraces and yards instead of hosing them down.
• Water planters early or late in the day to reduce evaporation.
• Consider water butts for watering plants.

Get staff on board

Equipment helps, but habits make the biggest day-to-day difference. Include water in staff induction, put up simple reminders in kitchens and washrooms, and give someone responsibility for reporting leaks and checking the meter. Share results so the team sees the impact.

Check your bills as well as your usage

Saving water is only part of the picture. You should also make sure you are paying the right charges for the water you use.

Estimated readings

Busy hospitality sites sometimes miss meter reads. If your bills are based on estimates, they may not reflect your real usage. Submit your own readings regularly.

Wastewater charges

Foul sewerage is often calculated as a percentage of water supplied. For most restaurants, much of the water used does return to the sewer, so allowances for non-return are unlikely to apply. Welsh Water's non-return to sewer guidance, for example, specifically excludes cafés, restaurants and takeaways from its scheme. But it is still worth checking that the sewerage volume matches your supply volume and that your other wastewater charges are correct. Our wastewater charge check covers this.

Surface water drainage

Hotels and pubs with car parks, beer gardens and large roofs can have significant surface water drainage charges. If some or all of your rainwater drains to a soakaway rather than the public sewer, it is worth finding out whether a rebate may be possible.

Standing charges

Standing charges are often linked to meter size. If your meter is larger than your current needs – perhaps after downsizing or a change of use – ask your retailer whether this is reflected correctly.

Plan upgrades sensibly

You do not need to replace everything at once. Focus first on quick fixes – leaks, running toilets, uncontrolled urinals – then build water efficiency into your normal replacement cycle. When a dishwasher, glass washer or shower needs replacing, compare the water use of different models alongside price and performance. Keep a note of what you have changed and when, so you can compare meter readings before and after.

Grease and drains

Fats, oils and grease should never go down the sink. Blockages can cause costly problems and may lead to action from the water company. Grease traps and good kitchen practice protect both your drains and the public sewer.

Hospitality-specific help

We work with hotels, pubs, cafés and restaurants to review their water bills. Find out more about our approach for the hospitality sector, or read about wider business water savings. Any savings depend on your circumstances, and we will explain any fees before any work goes ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Updated 7 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Charges and rules vary by water company and nation.