Across the UK, organisations are investing heavily in digital transformation. Smart meters deliver real-time energy insights, intelligent building management systems control heating and lighting dynamically, and sensors monitor everything from footfall to air quality. Yet despite this momentum, one critical building system has only recently begun to enter the digital age: water.
The hidden burden of traditional Legionella Risk Management
Around 3.2 million organisations in England and Wales carry out manual Legionella Risk Management (LRM) activities each month. These are dominated by clipboard checks, manual temperature testing, and weekly outlet flushing. In the absence of real usage data, the safest option has been to flush everything regularly, regardless of whether it’s used once a day or once a month.
For large estates, this can mean thousands of outlets, thousands of litres of water and thousands of hours of labour each year. Research suggests LRM practices could account for up to 8 per cent of total non-household water consumption across England and Wales. That’s a significant operational cost quietly absorbed by businesses every year. For multisite organisations, this creates a series of challenges: high volumes of potentially wasted water, increased hot water energy costs, large labour demands on estates teams, and compliance practices based on assumptions, not evidence.
Water intelligence: The missing piece
Having recently acquired the innovative Cortense sensor technology, Wave is helping bring water systems into the smart-building era. These intelligent, non-invasive devices retrofit onto existing pipes to provide continuous flow and temperature data. The battery-powered sensors simply attach to the outside of existing pipework, meaning no cutting into pipes, no isolation and no downtime — making them ideal for multisite organisations where disruption is not an option.
Supported by the MOSL Market Improvement Fund, Wave is running a trial designed to quantify the real savings potential of digital LRM using these sensors. By taking part, organisations will be able to see in real time which outlets have and haven’t been used, where water temperatures fall outside safe ranges, and where flushing is genuinely required and where it isn’t — eliminating unnecessary flushing and identifying outlets that genuinely need intervention.
Why this matters now
Multisite organisations are under pressure to deliver more efficient, resilient, and sustainable estates. Year on year, utility budgets are being stretched, water scarcity risks are rising across the UK, and facilities teams are being expected to do more with less as portfolios grow and sustainability targets and reporting gain traction.
Going digital is no longer a ‘nice to have’, and organisations that embrace innovation first will be the ones who see the operational advantages. Wave’s nationwide trial aims to prove that intelligent water monitoring can maintain safety while drastically lowering water and energy consumption, and the demand on already stretched resources.
Safety remains the priority
Legionella is a harmful bacterium that can cause Legionnaires’ disease, so there will be customers who may be reluctant to update their practices for fear of the unknown. That’s why Wave has partnered with independent water safety specialist consultants to provide oversight and make sure that compliance and safety remain front and centre. This isn’t about relaxing standards; it’s about strengthening them through better data.
Wave is looking for engaged, forward-thinking organisations to receive the sensors and service at no cost for the duration of the trial. Registration is open now, and you don’t need to be a Wave customer to take part.