Understanding your water bill

Your business water bill is made up of different elements: Water charges, sewerage charges, plus in some cases other, usually infrastructure related charges. You can choose to receive water from your existing water supplier, or from one of the other water suppliers in the market. 

Water and sewerage charges change every year and depend on your region and your chosen water supplier. You may receive two different bills if your water service and your sewerage service are supplied by two different companies. 

Metered vs unmetered water charges 

Metered water charges 

If you have a water meter installed, your water bill is calculated based on either an “estimated” or “actual” read of your water consumption. Your bill will include two water charges: 

A fixed standing charge, which is based on the size of your water meter - this covers the general maintenance of your supply. 

A variable volumetric charge, which is based on the volume of water you use. 

The industry regulators set price limits for customers who have not formally agreed contracts with their current water supplier (deemed contracts). In Scotland, these limits apply to all deemed contract customers. In England, the protections are applied to deemed customers consuming less than 50Ml; intermediate and large users can negotiate alternative terms and/or tariffs with their chosen water supplier that allow them to match their supply with their seasonal or daily demand. 

Unmetered water charges 

While most non-domestic properties are metered, a small number of business customers don’t have a water meter installed. Since there is no way of knowing for certain how much water is consumed at the property, this needs to be estimated based on the Rateable Value of the property being supplied. For more information about Rateable Value, please visit our FAQs here.

Unmetered non-domestic water bills include: 

• A fixed standing charge to cover the general maintenance of your supply.

• An estimated volumetric charge based on the Rateable Value of the property.  

If your property has a high business Rateable Value but your business has a relatively low water consumption, your estimated charges may be higher than your actual consumption. You can request that a water meter be installed so you only pay for what you use, which may reduce your overall charges. 

Another advantage of having a meter installed is that it can allow you to detect leaks more quickly than if you don't have a meter installed.

Sewerage charges 

Your average business water bill will also contain charges for sewerage services. Sewerage services include the collection and treatment of: 

- Foul sewage, for any waste water that returns to the public sewer system, e.g. waste water from sinks or toilets. This is usually estimated at 95% of your water consumption, unless the wholesaler in your area can confirm that a lower proportion of your water consumption is discharged in the public sewer system. 

- Surface water drainage, for rainwater that drains from your property into the public sewer system

- Highway drainage, for water that runs off roads and pavements into the public sewer system. All customers connected to the public sewer system pay a contribution toward highways drainage.

You may also have a separate Trade Effluent charge where you have a consent from the wholesaler in your area to discharge this into the public sewer system. Trade Effluent is any waste water or other liquid used for a business or industrial purpose such as waste water from a commercial car wash or laundrette, or water used in food production or engineering processes. This water has to be treated by the wholesaler, above and beyond the treatment expected for normal waste water, before it is discharged back to the environment.

One bill, one solution 

Our one bill solution is a more convenient way for your small business to manage your essential business services. We’ve simplified it in four easy steps: 

Less admin time 

Only one invoice for all your essential business services–reduce the time your business spends processing multiple invoices and supplier payments. 

One point of contact 

Whether it’s a question about your business electricity or one about your business broadband, you only need to contact Clear Business– no wasted time or effort filtering through piles of supplier documentation. 

Manage your cashflow 

Streamlining your essential business services into one bill makes it easier to identify areas where you are spending more than you would like. 

Your benefits 

We’re pretty confident in saying that we offer the widest range of essential business services in the market. From business broadband and business water to business energy and payment services, we offer everything you need to keep your business running smoothly. And what’s more, they all get billed at the same time on the same bill, hence our ‘one bill, one solution’. Take advantage of all these benefits by simply making sure all of your services are switched to us.