What is the Water Efficiency Lab (WEL)?
The water sector in England and Wales is at risk of falling short of its long-term goals for water efficiency, with an estimated deficit of nearly 5 billion litres per day in England by 2055.
The Water Efficiency Lab (WEL) is a new challenge-led competition to attract innovative solutions to specific water efficiency challenges and unlock progress on water efficient technology, processes and approaches.
A total of £25 million will be available through annual WEL competitions between 2025-30. Each annual competition will explore a different theme, to be confirmed.
The WEL is part of Ofwat’s new £100 million Water Efficiency Fund (WEF), which has been established to drive a transformative, sustained, and measurable reduction in water demand across England and Wales.
Key information
The theme for WEL 1 (the first WEL competition) is Actionable Insights – using data to inform customers and change behaviours.
WEL 1 opens for entries on 25 November 2025 at 1 pm (GMT) and closes on 10 March 2026 at 1 pm (GMT).â¯â¯
The total funding available for WEL 1 is up to £5 million. Individual entries will be able to request between £150,000 and £1.5 million (exceptions apply).
WEL 1 winners will be announced in mid-June 2026.