The UK is no stranger to rain, yet droughts are becoming an increasingly pressing problem. Climate change is driving hotter, drier summers and putting unprecedented pressure on public water supplies. In August 2025, the Environment Agency confirmed that five of its operational areas were officially in drought, with a further six experiencing prolonged dry weather. These types of conditions are set to become more frequent, more severe and more disruptive – threatening not only public water supply, but also agriculture, ecosystems and infrastructure.
Why supply-side alone isn’t enough
UK water companies face a daunting task: how to secure supplies in a climate-constrained, fast-growing country. Relying on supply-side measures alone i.e. building new reservoirs, transferring water across regions, or extracting more from rivers and aquifers, comes at a high cost. What’s more, thesemore these projects can damage biodiversity and take decades to deliver.
By contrast, demand-side strategies that reduce water use are often more sustainable, affordable and immediate. From encouraging shorter showers to mandating efficient fixtures in new homes, demand-side interventions can cut per-capita consumption significantly. Yet while UK usage has already fallen from 155 to 140 litres per person per day, further reductions will be essential for long-term resilience.
Why many demand-side interventions fail
The challenge is that many demand-side interventions fail because they ignore the social and psychological realities of how people use water. Behavioural science shows us that without trust, relevance and clear information, households are unlikely to change their habits in meaningful or lasting ways.
The problem of trust and knowledge
One of the biggest obstacles is trust. The Consumer Council for Water reports that public confidence in water companies is at a 13-year low, with satisfaction declining across all service areas. The wider sewage pollution crisis and concerns about executive pay have further eroded credibility.
Research published in Frontiers in Environmental Science confirms that messages from unfamiliar or distrusted sources are rarely effective in driving conservation. Forced restrictions such as hosepipe bans face similar problems. Although legally enforceable, they are often resisted and can even backfire, with consumers over-watering once restrictions are lifted, wiping out the short-term savings.
Knowledge is another critical barrier. Ofwat’s Rapid Evidence Assessment on water efficiency found that most consumers have little idea how much water they use, or why conservation matters. Without a clear baseline, they struggle to judge whether they are over or under-using. And even when knowledge gaps are filled, information alone rarely inspires behaviour change unless it is made personally relevant and emotionally engaging.
Generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns tend to miss the mark. Reviews of UK drought management describe it as overly reactive, centred too narrowly on public water supply, and reliant on blunt short-term messages rather than proactive, sustained engagement across sectors.
Cultural and contextual barriers
These issues are amplified by the UK’s unique cultural context. Many people still doubt that water scarcity is a genuine problem in a country known for its rain. Awareness of conservation typically rises only when memories of drought are fresh. Water use is also largely unconscious and habitual: a Thames Water study showed that fewer than half of households knew their daily consumption. With water bills relatively small compared to energy, the issue often slips down the list of financial priorities. And when people think about water problems, they are more likely to blame leaks, pollution or flooding than scarcity – reducing their sense of personal responsibility.
What actually works?
Despite these barriers, the good news is, there’s evidence that highlights a number of interventions that do succeed. Sustained, year-round engagement helps embed water-saving habits beyond crisis periods. Timely, personalised notifications at peak times can prompt immediate changes far more effectively than static advice.
Utilities that take advantage of their direct customer relationships, and back this up with transparent communication, visible efforts to reduce leakage and consistent community engagement, can begin to rebuild trust and position themselves as credible messengers.
Appealing to intrinsic values also matters. Framing conservation as “the right thing to do” for communities and the environment has been shown to motivate action more powerfully than financial incentives. Behavioural nudges and social proof, such as showing households how their usage compares with neighbours or inviting them to join collective goals, tap into natural instincts for fairness and competition. And tailoring is key: when advice is targeted to household size, type and historic use, it resonates and delivers more impact than one-size-fits-all campaigns.
The power of tailoring and technology
This is precisely where Advizzo adds value. Our digital engagement platform is designed to combine behavioural science with scale, delivering personalised interventions, testing them through A/B trials, and refining them continuously to maximise impact. As we’ve written before, the ability to measure outcomes reliably is critical, and randomised control trials and A/B testing are at the heart of Advizzo’s approach. Read more about How to reliably measure energy and water savings – the importance of A/B testing and Randomised Control Trials.
Building water-smart communities
In the end, building resilience to drought isn’t about enforcing short-term restrictions. It’s about understanding human behaviour and shaping it for the long term. That requires transparency, trust and tools that can scale.
Water companies that embrace this challenge will not only help protect scarce supplies but also strengthen their relationship with customers at a time when trust is sorely needed. And with behavioural science at its core, Advizzo is helping utilities take the lead in building water-smart, drought-resilient communities.
Suggested further reading
Blog – Rebuilding Trust in the Water Sector: How Advizzo Helps Utilities Reconnect with Customers
Blog – How Advizzo Helps Utilities Make the Important Shift from EGO-Centric to ECO-Centric Models