Overview

Demeter has been working closely with a facilities management provider since 2019 to monitor and manage water consumption across a portfolio of primary, secondary, and special educational needs (SEN) schools throughout the North East of England. Through proactive daily monitoring and alert-based interventions, water wastage has been significantly reduced, and operational awareness has improved.

The Challenge

Managing water usage across a diverse portfolio of schools presents challenges ranging from undetected leaks and faulty fittings to infrastructure limitations. With varying building ages and usage patterns, identifying the early signs of excess consumption is critical to preventing unnecessary cost and carbon emissions.

Our Approach

Demeter’s smart monitoring platform has enabled continuous daily review of water consumption profiles for each site. Alarms and usage anomalies trigger immediate notifications and generate regular reporting for facilities teams. The service includes:

• Daily usage reviews and alerts
• Weekly and monthly performance summaries
• Benchmarking per pupil vs. national datasets
• Carbon and cost forecasting
• Tailored recommendations and follow-up action

Key Findings

• Primary Schools: All five monitored schools consistently perform better than the national median (6.36 m³/pupil/year), with one school ranked in the top 10% nationally out of almost 600 schools benchmarked on the system.

• Secondary Schools: Four secondary schools displayed stable usage, with two schools outperforming the national median (3.6 m³/pupil/year).
• SEN Schools: Both monitored SEN schools reported significantly better-than-average consumption (12 m³ and 16 m³/pupil/year, respectively vs. 26 m³ average), despite known challenges with frequent flushing.

Highlighted Interventions

On average about 3 alerts, notifications and reports are sent each month to provide early notifications of increased use and other relevant trend information. This prompt and proactive service enables the facilities management provider to respond quickly and resolve issues, therefore preventing ongoing and excessive water use and costs.

• Secondary School: An undetected stuck ball valve in a CWST tank was causing excessive flow, using over 160 m³ in a single month (March 2025). Prompt identification and mechanical resolution led to the immediate usage drop. Additionally, detailed scrutiny of the usage profile identified a consistent 260 litres per hour flow occurring only on weekends, lasting around 15 hours at a time. This unusual pattern occurred 14 times between February and spring, costing approximately £15 per incident but with potential to exceed £800 annually if unresolved. After analysis, a flexible valve connection linked to the heating system was found to be leaking whenever the heating was turned off. This rare and difficult-to-detect issue was resolved through collaboration with site staff, highlighting the value of proactive monitoring in catching unexpected anomalies.

• Primary School: A contractor left a push tap running during alteration works. Daily monitoring flagged the issue, which was resolved quickly, avoiding prolonged waste.

• SEN School: Weekly peaks in flow due to flushing were analysed, and staff retraining followed an incident where a tap was left running post-flush.

Results

• Multiple incidents of excessive use were identified and corrected before major cost accumulation.
• Performance benchmarking showed all primary and SEN schools were operating above the national average.
• Forecasting tools showed every school was on track for 100% of their projected carbon and cost performance targets for the coming year.

Environmental and Financial Impact

Using real-time tracking and comparative benchmarking, accurate forecasts can be set with confidence for the portfolio. The schools are forecasted to use less than 30,000 m³ annually.