The Water Efficiency Lab (WEL) is a new competition created to help tackle the growing water efficiency gap in England and Wales. If no action is taken, the country could face a shortfall of nearly 5 billion litres of water per day by 2055.
The first competition (WEL 1) focuses on “Actionable Insights”, using data to help customers make informed decisions and change their water use. It offers up to £5 million in funding, with individual awards between £150,000 and £1.5 million, and winners will be announced in June 2026.
The WEL is designed to catalyse systemic progress in water efficiency by accelerating the development and adoption of data-driven solutions that empower customers and reshape consumption patterns. By exploring a new priority theme each year, the competition aims to unlock innovation in technologies, processes and behavioural approaches that can deliver long-term resilience for the sector. Through collaboration, knowledge sharing and implementation at scale, WEL seeks to close the water efficiency gap while generating measurable benefits for customers, communities and the environment.
The independent judging panel is comprised of seven experts from a wide range of sectors and disciplines, bringing a wealth of experience across industry, academia and engineering, bringing insights from both within and outside the sector.
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