What Source for Business does

Source for Business is a UK B2B water and wastewater retailer operating as a trading brand of Pennon Water Services Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pennon Group Plc (parent company of South West Water and Bournemouth Water). The company entered the market on 1 April 2017 as an Eligible Water Supply Licensee following deregulation of the non-household water market in England and Scotland, and today serves over 150,000 business customer accounts across the UK. Its core products are retail water supply and wastewater removal services, supplemented by a portfolio of value-added services including leakage detection, water audits, water loggers, borehole installation, rainwater harvesting, trade effluent support, greywater reuse, and business wastewater management.

The company's technology stack centers on two customer-facing portals: MyAccount for self-service account management (bills, meter readings, direct debit setup) and the Key Account Portal for enterprise customers to access wholesale application forms such as meter accuracy tests and leak allowance claims. A third portal, Utilities Manager, provides consumption monitoring and logger data access. Back-office operations are supported by integrations with Paragon Customer Communications (print and post), Credit Safe (credit checks), the Post Office / Pay Point (payment acceptance), 2sms.com/Commify (SMS notifications), and Echo Managed Services (offshore administration). Customer service operates via telephone (0330 123 0205) and email.

Source for Business generates revenue primarily through subscription-style retail charges — Usage Charges based on metered consumption plus Standing Charges per supply point — under Service Plans with monthly billing. It also collects wholesale charges on behalf of water wholesalers (largely pass-through) and earns revenue from additional services such as water audits, boreholes, rainwater harvesting systems, and trade effluent advisory work. The go-to-market motion is sales-led with direct customer engagement, dedicated Key Account managers for larger customers, and online self-service capabilities. The customer base spans agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, education, government/correctional, student accommodation, sports, and leisure sectors, with named enterprise customers including NHS providers, Unite Students, Plymouth Argyle Football Club, and Swinfen Hall Prison.

Name

Source for Business

Legal name

Pennon Water Services Limited

Website

https://source4b.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Source for Business is a UK B2B water and wastewater retailer (a trading brand of Pennon Water Services Ltd, part of Pennon Group Plc) serving over 150,000 non-household business customers across England and Scotland with retail supply, sewerage services, and value-added offerings including leak detection, boreholes, and rainwater harvesting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Water and Wastewater Retail Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Metering, Billing & Retail Water Services (EUANAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Billing & Revenue Management (rate configuration, billing, adjustments, revenue assurance) (EUANAIAC), Third-Party Water Retailing & Managed Billing Services (outsourced billing, white-label retail operations) (EUANAIAL), Payments, Collections & Credit/Delinquency Management (payment channels, dunning, write-offs) (EUANAIAE), Move-In/Move-Out, Service Orders & Field Dispatch (turn-ons/turn-offs, appointments, workforce scheduling) (EUANAIAH)

Keywords

• Business water retail
• Wastewater management services
• Water efficiency services
• Leak detection services
• Trade effluent support

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water and Sewerage Retail Services: Source for Business generates revenue through retail charges for water supply and sewerage removal services to business customers. Charges include Usage Charges based on consumption (measured by meter readings), Standing Charges, and wholesale charges collected on behalf of water wholesalers. The company offers Service Plans with agreed schedules of charges and also earns revenue from additional services including leakage detection, water audits, loggers, boreholes, rainwater harvesting, trade effluent support, and wastewater management.
2. Wholesale Charge Collection: The company collects wholesale charges from customers on behalf of water wholesalers. These charges are directly attributable to the volume of water or sewerage usage and are passed through to the wholesaler.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Source for Business is a UK water and wastewater retailer providing retail water supply and sewerage removal services to over 150,000 business customer accounts across England and Scotland. The core offering includes Usage Charges based on metered consumption and Standing Charges billed monthly under a Service Plan, complemented by value-added services such as leakage detection, water audits, water loggers, borehole installation, rainwater harvesting, trade effluent support, greywater reuse, and business wastewater management.

Product overview

Source for Business is a water and wastewater retailer serving over 150,000 business customer accounts across the UK. The core offering consists of water supply and wastewater management services for business customers. Customer-facing digital services include the MyAccount online portal for general account management and the Key Account Portal for larger customers accessing wholesale application forms. Additional value-added services include leakage support, water audits, water loggers, borehole installation, rainwater harvesting, trade effluent support, greywater reuse, and business wastewater management. The company also provides access to the Utilities Manager Logger Portal for consumption monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Supply Services Retail water supply services for UK business customers, providing clean water delivery and management across multiple supply points under a Service Plan with Usage Charges and Standing Charges.
• Wastewater Management Sewerage removal and wastewater services for business premises, including property drainage and roads drainage charges, billed alongside water supply services.
• Leakage Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced water bills by up to £51,000 per annum through leak detection
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AquaCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaCare is Source for Business's in-house water hygiene specialist partner, offering legionella risk assessments and compliance services (ACoP L8) for customers including healthcare and education sectors. AquaCare provides remote monitoring devices (AquaTeq) to automate temperature monitoring and outlet flushing.
• Sustainable Drainage SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal expert contractor in Western-Super-Mare that partnered with Source for Business on Plymouth Argyle Football Club's pioneering rainwater harvesting project using smart rainwater management systems.
• Ignite EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy consulting firm that worked with Source for Business to identify water consumption issues at Unite Students' Stratford One site, implementing daily exception monitoring and developing action lists for early identification of consumption concerns.
• South West WatercoreOthersWater wholesaler and parent group company (Pennon Group) that provides the physical water supply and sewerage services. Source for Business is the retail intermediary between South West Water and business customers.
• Bournemouth WatercoreOthersWater wholesaler operating alongside South West Water under the Pennon Group. Bournemouth Water supplies water to certain areas where Source for Business provides retail services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Clear Business Water: UK B2B water retailer offering water and wastewater supply, meter reading, and billing services to business customers. Directly comparable to Source for Business in product offering and target customer.
• Wave: UK business water and wastewater retailer operating in the deregulated non-household market. Directly competes with Source for Business for the same customer base of UK businesses, particularly across water and sewerage retail services.
• Castle Water: One of the largest independent UK business water retailers, competing head-to-head with Source for Business for non-household customers across England and Scotland. Offers similar water retail, billing, and efficiency services to SMEs and large enterprises.
• Everflow: UK business water retailer targeting SMEs and larger commercial customers. Competes directly with Source for Business on pricing, customer service, and value-added efficiency services in the same deregulated English market.
• Business Stream: The retail arm of Scottish Water, providing water and wastewater retail services to non-household customers in Scotland. Comparable to Source for Business as a licensed retailer serving business customers through a wholesaler-integrated model.
• Water Plus: Joint venture between United Utilities and Severn Trent, Water Plus is the largest UK business water retailer serving non-household customers. Direct competitor to Source for Business in the same deregulated retail market with a similar service-plus-value-add proposition.
• Water 2 Business: Retail water company (Wessex Water / Bournemouth Water JV) serving non-household customers in the Wessex region. Highly comparable to Source for Business as a regional water retailer leveraging wholesaler relationships.

Broad incumbents

• United Utilities: Major UK water and wastewater group with regulated wholesale arm and a stake in Water Plus (business water retail). Comparable to Source for Business in serving non-household customers via a licensed retail vehicle, while operating at much larger scale.
• Pennon Group: Listed parent company of Source for Business (via Pennon Water Services) and of South West Water / Bournemouth Water wholesalers. The broader Pennon Group gives Source for Business unique access to wholesale infrastructure that other retailers must contract for.
• Severn Trent: Largest UK-listed water utility with combined regulated wholesale and non-household retail exposure (via Water Plus). Comparable in industry segment and in operating a hybrid wholesale/retail model, with broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Source4b
• Facebookfacebook.com/sourceforbusiness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Source for Business