Excel Water Cost Tool

IBC demin water vs on-site production

Compare what you currently pay for delivered demineralised water against the likely cost of producing it on site. Change any figure below — the results update as you type.

What you buy today

All figures ex VAT

Water purchased

IBCs used per month

Litres per IBC L

Price per IBC £

Delivery

Deliveries per month

Charge per delivery £

Costs that rarely reach the invoice

Container rental, deposits, collection or disposal Per month £

Time spent ordering, moving and managing IBCs Hours per month hrs

Cost of that time Fully loaded hourly rate £/hr

What producing it would cost

Estimate

Feed water and waste

System recovery Share of feed water that becomes usable product %

Incoming water charge UK business volumetric rates typically £1.30–£2.40/m³ £/m³

Wastewater or effluent charge Applied to the reject stream. Typically £1.40–£1.60/m³ £/m³

Energy

Energy used per 1,000 litres produced Mains-fed RO with pumps is usually 0.5–1.5 kWh/m³ kWh

Electricity price UK business average was around 26p/kWh in 2026 £/kWh

Upkeep and equipment

Consumables per year Membranes, resin, cartridges, salt, chemicals £

Servicing per year £

Equipment and installation One-off cost — ask us for a real figure £

Write that cost off over yrs

Enter your figures above

The results below update automatically.

Buying IBC water

£0

per year

Producing on site

£0

per year, running costs only

Annual difference

£0

before equipment cost

Simple payback

—

on equipment and installation

Cost per litre of usable water

On-site figure includes equipment written off over the period you set.

Buying IBC water0p

Producing on site, all in0p

Where the buying cost goesWater purchased£0
Delivery charges£0
Rental, deposits, collection£0
Internal handling time£0
Total per year£0

Where the on-site cost goesFeed water£0
Reject to drain£0
Electricity£0
Consumables£0
Servicing£0
Equipment, annualised£0
Total per year£0

Over five years	Buying IBCs	Producing on site
Water and delivery / running costs	£0	£0
Equipment and installation	£0	£0
Five-year total	£0	£0
Five-year difference	£0

Turn this estimate into a real number

These figures are indicative. The equipment cost, recovery rate and consumable spend for your site depend on your feed water, required purity, peak demand and available space. Send us your usage and a recent water analysis and we will cost it properly.

Ask us to check your figures 0113 232 0005

How this calculator works

All figures are ex VAT and assume you need the same volume of water however you obtain it.
Feed water is calculated as the volume you need divided by the recovery rate. The remainder is treated as reject sent to drain and charged at the wastewater rate you enter.
Equipment cost is spread evenly across the years you choose. Finance charges, lease costs and inflation are not included.
Simple payback compares the one-off equipment cost against the annual running-cost difference. It does not discount future cash flows.
The default figures are an illustrative example, not a quotation. Real system costs vary widely with feed water quality, required purity and site conditions.
Default utility rates reflect UK business market conditions in mid-2026. Your own tariff will differ by region, meter size and contract.
Nothing you type here is sent to Excel Water or stored. The calculation runs entirely in your browser.