Livery yard owners in the UK are facing significant financial challenges due to a substantial increase in water bills. Starting from April 1, 2025, the average water and wastewater bill in England and Wales is set to rise by £123, or 26%, bringing the typical annual charge to £603.
This increase is part of a broader plan to fund a £104 billion upgrade to the water sector’s infrastructure, aimed at enhancing customer services and meeting environmental goals.
Impact on Livery Yard Owners
Livery yards and other equestrian establishments are particularly vulnerable to these rising costs due to their substantial water usage. Essential activities such as watering horses in the stables and paddocks, maintaining and clean stables, dust control for riding arenas and bathing horses require significant water consumption.
For instance, a large yard with approximately 50 horses averages 30 cubic meters (m³) of water per horse annually. With water charges averaging £1.21 per m³, this translates to an annual water cost of approximately £36.30 per horse. Therefore, a 26% increase in water bills would raise the cost per horse to around £45.74 annually, adding significant expenses for livery yard owners.
The livery sector is already grappling with escalating operational costs, including electricity, feed, and maintenance. A survey conducted by SEIB Insurance Brokers revealed that nearly 40% of livery clients have experienced fee increases ranging from £5 to over £30 per month. The impending rise in water bills is likely to exacerbate this trend, potentially leading to further fee hikes for clients.
Analysing Your Water Usage
By asking a company such as Enexus Energy to undertake a Water Audit, they can conduct a detailed analysis of your historical water bills, including water supply, wastewater charges, and landlord and third-party charges dating back at least 12 months. Enexus are well-placed to help organisations that operate across a number of different sites, or businesses with particularly high water usage.
Commercial water bills are often complex and lacking transparency, so they use this opportunity to identify any historical or hidden overcharges and claim for or those to be refunded. The next step of a Water Audit is a Water Use Survey – a full site evaluation to understand how water is used at your site(s), and Enexus can also help identify specific recommendations, including a scope of work, projected costs and forecasted savings, for any recommended improvements that can help you reduce and manage your water consumption.
Strategies for Managing Water Consumption
To manage these escalating costs, livery yard owners might consider several strategies:
- Water Conservation Measures: Implementing water-saving technologies, such as automatic drinkers with float valves can reduce wastage. Regular maintenance checks for leaks and educating staff and clients on efficient water use are also crucial steps.
- Rainwater Harvesting: Investing in systems to collect and store rainwater can provide an alternative water source for non-potable uses, such as irrigation and cleaning, thereby reducing reliance on mains water.
- Cost Assessment and Adjustment: Conducting thorough reviews of running costs to identify inefficiencies can help in adjusting pricing appropriately, ensuring that increased costs are sustainably managed without compromising service quality.
- Changing Supplier: Recent deregulation within the industry means that businesses in the UK now have the flexibility to choose between water suppliers in the same way they can for gas and electricity. Depending on your usage, switching water supplier could reduce your bills by up to 18% – in some cases even more. Specialist consultants such as Enexus Energy can help you choose the right water supplier to meet your commercial and environmental objectives.
Managing Water Consumption in the Day to Day Yard Routine
As mentioned above, taking measures to reduce water use can be one of the most effective ways to reduce your bills. Reducing water usage in the day-to-day running of a livery yard is not only cost-effective but also environmentally responsible. Here are some practical steps yard owners and liveries can take:
- Adopt Water-Efficient Horse Washing: Using a bucket and sponge instead of a hose when washing horses, or investing in a low-flow hose nozzle, helps control water usage. Waterless shampoos can also be a great alternative for spot cleaning. Consider rules around hosing off horses during muddy seasons, or bathing and washing off in the summer months.
- Fix Leaks and Maintain Equipment: Regularly inspect pipes, troughs, and taps for leaks. Even a small drip can waste significant amounts of water over time. Have a process for liveries to report any damages or leaking pipes or hoses.
- Reuse Water Where Possible: Unused drinking water can be used for soaking hay or cleaning out buckets. Consider installing a wash bay with a drainage system that recycles water or filters it for reuse.
- Consider Stables Cleaning Practices: Use dry sweeping methods instead of hosing down stable floors. Try to wash all feed buckets and water buckets at the same time. Consider distances to carry water (ie in water buckets) to reduce spillage.
- Educate Staff and Liveries: Raising awareness among liveries and staff about mindful water use can make a big difference. Simple habits like turning off taps when not in use and using water only when necessary contribute to overall savings. Yard signage reminding to turn off taps can also be useful.
- Invest in Improved Facilities: Using automatic water drinkers ensures horses have a constant supply of fresh water while reducing waste compared to filling buckets. Automatic troughs in fields can prevent spillage of transporting water or taps being left on when out of sight. Fit hoses with trigger nozzles to control flow and prevent continuous running water.
Conclusion
The forthcoming rise in water bills presents a notable challenge for livery yard owners, necessitating proactive measures to mitigate the financial impact. By adopting water conservation practices and exploring alternative water sources, yard operators can manage costs more effectively while maintaining the quality of care for their equine clients.