How we can invest in renewable energy and protect our peatland ecosystems
By: Etisang Abraham
Read moreThe water sector is one year into the most ambitious programme of water efficiency ever attempted in England and Wales. AMP8 brings major investment in smart metering, household and non-household programmes, innovation, and direct customer engagement. New policy tools are emerging, and expectations for reducing water demand have never been higher.
Much of the focus understandably remains on delivering these programmes successfully, with one year’s learning now in place. But as delivery accelerates, a broader question begins to emerge:
What will water efficiency need to look like beyond AMP8?
By the end of this decade, the landscape could look very different. The lessons learned over the next five years will shape not only what is delivered in AMP8, but what is possible in AMP9. Pressures on water resources are well known; climate change, population growth, and economic development are all increasing strain on the systems supplying homes and businesses.
The timeline for change is also closer than it may appear. By 2030, the sector will be approaching the Environment Act 2021 targets of a 20% reduction in per capita consumption and a 9% reduction in non-household demand, with WRMPs currently projecting around 22% and 6.1% respectively.
Even closer than 2030, planning for the next cycle is fast approaching. Draft PR29 submissions are likely due in late 2028, just over two years away, meaning the need to think about AMP9 in the context of AMP8 is not a future consideration, but an immediate one. The evidence, approaches, and behaviours established now will directly shape how AMP9 is designed and delivered.
Imagining success by 2030
If AMP8 delivers successfully, its impact by 2030 will be visible across society.
Water-efficient products could have become the default choice in many homes, supported by the Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme launching in 2026, helping make sustainable water consumption a normal part of everyday purchasing decisions. Large-scale water efficiency programmes could have reached significant scale, with thousands of household and non-household audits delivered, embedding leak fixes, efficient devices, and behavioural nudges into everyday routines. Smart meter rollout may be well advanced, generating deeper insight into how water is used and enabling more timely, tailored support.
By this point, the sector-wide Water Efficiency Campaign will have completed its five-year cycle, alongside wider initiatives helping to shift public attitudes and normalise more efficient water use. Innovation pilots could be evolving into scalable programmes, while charging trials, including seasonal, time of use and rising block tariffs, may begin to inform future approaches.
The non-household sector may have completed its first sustained push on demand reduction, with structured programmes reaching thousands of businesses.
Even as new supply options such as Havant Thicket reservoir come online, demand management would still be doing much of the heavy lifting.
More fundamentally, AMP8 could mark the point where water efficiency begins to move beyond programmes and into everyday life. Like the shift seen in recycling, where coordinated action across manufacturers, retailers, local authorities and national campaigns helped make behaviours such as sorting waste the norm, water efficiency could begin to embed itself into how people think about and use water. What once required active intervention may start to feel routine, reinforced through homes, communities and schools.
By 2030, water efficiency may have entered a period of multi-channel growth, where using water wisely is increasingly seen not as an exception, but as part of everyday life.
The challenges ahead
The sector is rightly focused on making AMP8 a success. But progress in the current cycle does not automatically guarantee success in the next. The landscape for water demand continues to evolve, and the approaches that work today may need to develop by the time AMP9 arrives.
Four challenges in particular are likely to shape the next phase of water efficiency.
1. Changing and increasingly complex patterns of water use
Water demand is not static. Lifestyle changes, new technologies, and emerging social norms can shift consumption patterns quickly, sometimes in unexpected ways. The rise in hot tub ownership is one example of how relatively small shift can increase water use.
At the same time, new water-intensive sectors are emerging. Growth in data centres, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure supporting the clean energy transition could all increase pressure on water resources.
Understanding these evolving patterns will be critical if demand management approaches are to remain effective.
2. Evolving policy and regulation
The policy and regulatory landscape will continue to evolve. Reforms following the Cunliffe Review, alongside changes to building standards, labelling requirements, and planning policy, could reshape how water efficiency is delivered.
These shifts may create new opportunities but also introduce uncertainty for long-term planning. Programmes will need to remain flexible to respond to changing policy signals while maintaining momentum.
3. Scaling innovation into business-as-usual delivery
AMP8 is seeing a surge in innovation, from the Ofwat Innovation Fund to the Water Efficiency Lab and company-led initiatives. A major focus is improving insight into water use, particularly through smart meter data, to better target interventions and personalise support.
The challenge will become scale. Approaches proven in pilots must be translated into consistent, large-scale delivery across millions of customers. This requires operational capacity, supply chains, and delivery models that can work across diverse regions and communities.
4. Sustaining water savings over time
Even where reductions are achieved, maintaining them presents a further challenge. Behaviour can drift, new technologies and devices are introduced, and social norms evolve. Some savings can be “locked in”, for example through the water efficiency label, but many depend on continued engagement.
Without ongoing reinforcement, usage can gradually increase again. Sustaining reductions therefore requires adaptive programmes that evolve alongside changing behaviours and societal trends.
In short, water efficiency cannot simply be delivered once. It must be sustained, reinforced, and continually adapted if gains are to endure into AMP9 and beyond.
Conclusion
AMP8 represents both a milestone and a foundation. It is not only about delivering immediate savings, but about shaping behaviours, expectations, and systems that will define water efficiency in the years ahead. The real opportunity lies in using this period to build a lasting relationship between society and water, one where efficient use becomes second nature, much like recycling has today.