Does the Ownership of Water Utilities Influence Water-Saving Advice Provided to Service Users? An Analysis of the Spanish Water Sector

Abstract

This paper addresses the need to ensure the sustainable use of water, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Using statistical methods, this paper analyses whether the ownership of the water utility is an explanatory factor for (1) the provision of water conservation advice on utilities’ websites; and (2) how comprehensive this advice is in terms of tips on (i) installing efficient technology and (ii) adopting sustainable habits and behaviours. The paper focuses on the Spanish water industry, which is considered particularly appropriate for the analysis due to the coexistence of utilities with different ownership structures. The results reveal statistically significant differences according to the ownership of the operator and the size of the population served. For example, more private companies provide some advice on their websites, while public companies offer more tips per online advice section. The evidence should encourage national governments and regulatory authorities to pass a regulation that establishes guidelines on how these companies, both public and private, should provide water conservation advice on their websites.