Water isn’t really something we think about. We pay our annual water rates and that’s about it. But if you’re moving house you need to find out who supplies water and sewerage to your current home, settling the bill and determining who your new water provide will be. It’s just a matter of information; unlike gas and electricity, you have no say over who your water supplier is.

Richard Benyon, the Environment Minister, said: “This change will allow a huge number of extra businesses to search out better water deals by switching supplier.”

The proposals have taken a couple of years to be implemented, having been made following the 2009 Cave Review into water markets. At the moment there is a monopoly on water supply in the UK with businesses having to rely on their rates from the same companies that offer you and I water supply in our homes. However businesses do have the benefits of lowering their water costs should they run the water supply efficiently, which effectively makes them water supply licensees.Ofwat, the industry regulator, said that this had meant that although seven companies are registered as water supply licensees, just one of more than 2,000 eligible businesses has ever chosen to switch providers.By the end of 2011 a White Paper will be released which details changes to the industry. Ofwat is hoping that the changes will make the industry more competitive and less open to monopolisation.That in turn should be good news for small and medium sized business owners. The same changes were made in Scotland three year ago and are generally thought to have lowered prices and increased customer satisfaction, even though Business Stream is still the main service provider.

“Water makes up over two-thirds of the healthy human body. It lubricates the joints and eyes, aids digestion, flushes out waste and toxins and keeps skin healthy.” UK National Health Service guidelines.

1 Filtering your spring or borehole water will encourage you and your family to drink more water.

Filtered water is nicer to drink than unfiltered water, why else would people buy so much bottled water or spend so much on jug filters.Most people who drink water from a spring or borehole supply comment on how beautiful it tastes. However, some waters derived from these private water supplies can have an unpleasant taste or odour. This may be due to iron, hydrogen sulphide, peat or several other contaminants.Passing water through appropriate filters can greatly improve the taste of your water, encouraging you and your family to drink more water.

2. Filtered water is safer.

Water from a private water supply is totally natural. That is, it contains whatever pathogens that might be lurking in the environment that surrounds the source of the supply. In years gone-by that might have been cholera, typhoid or dysentery. Today it’s more likely to be Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Campylobacter or E.coli – pathogens that might not be as life threatening as the “the bloody flux”, but still, not very pleasantTreating your water with a properly sized and maintained UV purifier will make your water safe to drink.

Based in northwest London, Drinkworks is London’s premier office water supplier of fresh, pure source-bottled spring water direct from the Fillongley Spring in the Warwickshire countryside.

Drinkworks supply a comprehensive range of water coolers to businesses of all sizes from our headquarters in Pinner, northwest London – from SMEs to globally-recognised brands – across London and the Home Counties and our reputation and industry standing is based on our commitment to excellence across every aspect of what we do.