Southampton's i2O Water develops system for reducing water leaks

Southampton-based i2O Water defied the credit crunch to attract investment for its Intelligent Water Control system which it says reduces water leaks by over 25 per cent and should bring down prices for ratepayers.

The company has already enjoyed successful trials in the UK with strong interest in exporting its patented technology to water-stressed countries such as Australia, Greece, Cyprus, and Portugal.

The firm has spent three years developing its pressure management technology which is retrofitted to water supply networks. It reduces pressure during off peak periods to reduce leakage, a costly problem for water suppliers.

And it can raise pressure during high demand to improve service to customers.

Water pressure is presently fixed to cope with peak demand.

“There is a market for it wherever there is a shortage of water or leakage problems,” said managing director Adam Kingdon, who co-founded the business in 2005.

The system, controlled remotely from Southampton, has been fitted to parts of six UK water networks.

The first was installed at Portsmouth Water last August.

Mr Kingdon said trials had e x c e e d e d expectat i o n s paving the way for the system to be rolled out to water companies across the country over the next five years.

“In the longer term it enables them to run their network more efficiently and at lower costs. The way the regulation works, that will get passed onto the consumer.”

Funding from existing shareholders and a consortium of venture capital funds led by Swarraton Partners will allow i2O to create more than 200 jobs.

Most of them will at the firm’s base on the Science Park at Southampton University. Demand for the i2O technology is expected to increase as water becomes more scarce around the world.

Venture capital fundraising specialists First Capital advised i2O in its latest fundraising round.

A total of £2m was previously raised to fund product development.