Counting the Savings
How IoT leak detection is radically reducing water damage claims
Independent research by Ondo InsurTech in partnership with Consumer Intelligence reveals groundbreaking evidence of actual loss reduction from IoT leak detection technology.
WHITEPAPER
First cross-country quantification of IoT leak detection savings
Research Highlights
Five years after the first device was installed, Consumer Intelligence conducted independent research to quantify the savings insurers have made from proactively detecting and mending small leaks.
Reduction in water damage claims costs
UK market showing the most developed model results
Households studied
Across Europe and USA providing comprehensive data
Device-years of data
Creating the biggest IoT leak mitigation study to date
Countries
Cross-country validation of LeakBot effectiveness
Reduction in claim frequency
Fewer water damage claims occurring overall
Reduction in claim severity
When claims do occur, they're significantly smaller
Litres saved per year
Average water wastage prevented per property with leak
Had water damage claims
Proportion of homeowners before LeakBot installation
Transformational Results
The research results show that across the 3 countries, the average reduction in water damage claims spending was 44%, with the UK showing a remarkable 70% reduction where plumbing services are fully integrated.
$146 savings per policy per year in the USA market alone - far exceeding the total deployment cost of the LeakBot solution.
How LeakBot Works
LeakBot is mailed to customers and can be self-installed with no tools or plumbing experience required. The device is simply clipped onto the mains water pipe, where the water enters the property, and an app downloaded to connect the device to home WiFi.
LeakBot's patented Thermi-Q technology works to accurately measure both the air and water temperatures in a customer's home. A leak will continually draw colder water from outside, creating a consistent drop in temperature.
LeakBot can sense the prolonged and consistent drop in temperature and alerts the customer to the problem on an app. A customer is sent an alert when LeakBot detects a leak as small as one teaspoon per minute.
Complete Service Integration
Customers can book a plumber visit through the app to find and fix the leak, all free of charge, before it causes serious damage. This end-to-end service is what makes LeakBot uniquely effective.
Research Methodology
Ondo partnered with Consumer Intelligence to quantify the impact of the LeakBot system on homeowners through rigorous, independent research.
Data Collection
The LeakBot platform contains over 56,000 years of data from 43,000 households across Europe and the USA.
Survey Sample
Consumer Intelligence performed a deep-dive customer survey on a statistically representative 3,116 homes.
Comparative Analysis
Participants were asked about claims they had made in the five years prior to installing LeakBot and subsequently.
Time-Weighted Analysis
Appropriate weighting applied based on actual installation dates to draw fair comparisons.
Cross-Country Validation
Research conducted across multiple countries to validate consistency of results.
Independent Research
Fieldwork conducted online 30 March – 6 May 2022 by Consumer Intelligence independently.
Biggest IoT Study to Date
This makes the research the biggest to date on any Internet of Things (IoT) leak mitigation technology, providing unprecedented insight into real-world effectiveness.
The Results
Comprehensive analysis reveals transformational impact on water damage claims and customer satisfaction.
The World Before LeakBot
of homeowners had claimed for water damage in the five years prior to LeakBot installation
Common Causes of Water Damage Claims:
LeakBot Savings
Reduction in water damage claims costs in the UK market
With a 39% reduction in frequency and 50% reduction in severity
Net Promoter Score across all 3 countries
55% would recommend LeakBot to friends or family
More likely to stay with their current insurer
39% for those who had received a LeakBot alert
ROI payback period, not years
Far exceeding expectations for technological solutions
Water Conservation Impact
Beyond claims reduction, LeakBot delivers significant environmental benefits through water conservation.
Average water wastage prevented per property with an active leak alert
Real Life Customer Story
How LeakBot prevented a major water damage claim and delivered exceptional customer service.
"I was sceptical. I didn't see any water damage and I couldn't hear any dripping. But better safe than sorry and I had nothing to lose, so I booked a free plumber visit to take a look."
"When the engineer arrived he pressure tested the system which confirmed water was escaping from somewhere. He eventually traced this to an upstairs cistern."
"It was a tiny leak. I was amazed to learn it wasn't a false alarm. The plumber replaced a faulty valve there and then, and the leak stopped."
"It was a great service and not something I've had from insurance companies before. Our loft flooded a couple of years ago and the rigmarole of having the ceiling replaced and repainted is not something I'm keen to repeat. Knowing that LeakBot works so well is a big reassurance."
The LeakBot Experience
Easy Installation
Michael received his LeakBot, clipped it on, downloaded the app, and didn't think much more about it.
Leak Detection
Four months later, the app notified him of a probable leak - even though he saw no visible damage.
Free Repair Service
Despite initial skepticism, he booked a free plumber visit through the app.
Problem Solved
Engineer found and fixed a tiny leak in an upstairs cistern, preventing potential major damage.
Claim Prevented
By detecting and fixing this small leak early, LeakBot prevented what could have become a major water damage claim, similar to Michael's previous loft flood experience.
Conclusion
Wide ranging and robust research across multiple countries shows that LeakBot technology is consistent in reducing the frequency, severity and overall cost of water damage claims.
This wide ranging and robust research across multiple countries shows that LeakBot technology is consistent in reducing the frequency, severity and overall cost of water damage claims.
It does so to such an extent that insurer investment in providing simple LeakBot devices to customers pays back in reduced claims costs within just five months - not to mention the data and analysis LeakBot provides insurers to inform future risk and underwriting models.
The support provided by LeakBot further builds loyalty towards the insurer that provided it and the rising NPS scores amongst those who have received an alert indicate this will only rise further over time.
Any carrier that is serious about reducing its household claims ratio and maintaining competitive pricing to attract and retain customers should consider IoT devices such as LeakBot as a natural next step towards risk mitigation and water conservation.
Key Takeaways
Scalable Solution
Mass market scalable model with possible savings of $11 billion in territories LeakBot already operates in
Risk Mitigation
Natural next step towards risk mitigation for carriers serious about reducing household claims ratio
Environmental Impact
Additional environmental benefit due to significant water leakage prevention
Global Potential
Transformational technology with global potential to move the dial on water waste and damage claims
Get the Full Report
Download the complete whitepaper for detailed methodology, additional insights, and comprehensive data analysis.
About the Research Partners
This independent research was conducted through a partnership between Ondo InsurTech and Consumer Intelligence, bringing together industry expertise and rigorous research methodology.
About Ondo
Ondo works with home insurers to deploy proprietary solutions to deliver sustainable risk reduction. Ondo's focus is on the global scale-up of LeakBot - an end-to-end internet of things solution which protects homes from the impact of water damage.
Water damage is the single biggest cause of home insurance claims, accounting for $20bn of claims every year in the USA and UK combined. LeakBot is a patented self-install solution that connects to the home wireless network and, if it detects a leak, notifies the customer via the LeakBot mobile app and provides access to a team of expert LeakBot engineers to 'find and fix' the problem.
First InsurTech IPO
In March 2022 LeakBot became the first InsurTech to IPO in London, as Ondo InsurTech Plc
10 Insurance Partners
Including Direct Line Group, Hiscox, Mapfre and TopDanmark
5 Countries
Operations across Europe and the USA
$20bn Market
Water damage claims in USA and UK combined annually
© 2025 Ondo. Ondo InsurTech plc, 6th Floor 60 Gracechurch Street, London, United Kingdom EC3V 0HR.
About Consumer Intelligence
Consumer Intelligence (CI) is an insight partner for financial services, inspiring confident decisions that build consumer trust. For 18 years the company has been benchmarking the insurance market and retail banks in the UK and beyond.
The unique combination of benchmark data, consumer research and extensive experience has helped some of the world's major brands focus on delivering better services to customers and improving their own business performance as a result.
18 Years Experience
Benchmarking the insurance market and retail banks in the UK and beyond
Trusted Partner
Clients include the Financial Conduct Authority and The Office for National Statistics
Industry Leader
Unique combination of benchmark data, consumer research and extensive experience
Customer Focus
Helping major brands focus on delivering better services to customers