Understanding your water bill
Your business water bill is made up of different elements: Water and 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 licensed providers in the market.
Water and sewerage charges change every year and depend on your region and your chosen water company. You 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”, “actual” or “read” water consumption. Your bill will include two charges:
A fixed standing charge which is based on the size of your water meter and covers readings and the overall general maintenance of your meter.
A variable volumetric charge which is based on the volume of water you use.
The industry regulation authority Ofwat sets price limits to charges for consumptions below 50 MI to protect small users. Intermediate and large user can opt for separate non-standard tariffs, or alternative tariffs 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, the water consumption is not taken into consideration. Just like for unmetered domestic customers, their bill is composed of:
A fixed charge based on the rateable value of the property
A fixed “standing charge” to cover the customer-related costs of supply, e.g. billing and customer service
If your premise has a high business rateable value and your business has a relatively low water consumption, you should make sure to install a water meter since for this combination, unmetered charges are usually higher than metered charges.
Another advantage of having an installed meter is that it can allow you to detect leaks and find them more quickly then if you don't have a meter installed. The first way to tell if your meter has a leak is if your bill is considerably higher while your consumption has either stayed the same or even decreased.
Sewerage charges
Your average business water bill will also contain charges for sewerage services. Sewerage services include the collecting and treating of:
- Surface water drainage, for rainwater that drains from your property into the public sewer
- Highway drainage, for water that runs off roads and pavements into the public sewer trade effluent
- For any waste water or other liquid used for a business or industrial purpose that you discharge; e.g. detergents, food waste, chemicals
- Foul sewage, for any “domestic” waste water that you discharge; e.g. sewage or waste water from sinks or toilets
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 in the post, only one Direct Debit to manage – the benefits of reducing time spent processing multiple invoices and supplier payments can save your business over the course of a year.
One point of contact
Whether it’s a question about your business electric rates or one about your business broadband rates, you know there’s only Clear Business you need to contact – no wasted time or effort filtering through piles of supplier documentation.
Improved accuracy
Streamlining your essential business services into one bill makes it easier to identify areas where you are spending more than you would like or spot potential billing errors.
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 electricity and business gas, 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.