Who Is My Water Supplier?
Who is my water supplier? How do I register for my water bills? When moving home, water is usually the last thing people think about. It can get confusing with all the moving boxes and energy contracts, water is often left out! Here is a short guide to help you sort out your water bills in no time.
Who Supplies My Water?
Unlike your gas and electricity, you can’t choose your water supplier. Each water company has a regional monopoly that supplies all the houses in a postcode area.
The simplest way to find your water and sewerage suppliers is to use a postcode checker to find out who provides your area. Use our handy water supplier postcode checker to find out who supplies your area:
Water Suppliers in the UK
There are 11 water and sewerage suppliers and 13 water-only suppliers in England and Wales. A water and sewerage supplier will bill a household for both clean drinking water and wastewater management, whereas a water-only supplier only supplies the clean drinking water. All the suppliers in England and Wales are regulated by Ofwat.
If you are provided by a water-only supplier, your sewerage will be handled by one of the bigger water and sewerage companies. You will still only receive one bill from your water-only supplier, but your sewerage part will be billed on behalf of a bigger company.
Here is a map showing all the water suppliers in England and Wales:
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, there is only one supplier, with Scottish Water covering the whole of Scotland, and Northern Ireland Water covering Northern Ireland.
Check out our full Water Supplier List!
How hard is my water? Most of England is covered by hard water. This means that there is a higher concentration of minerals in the drinking water. To find out more about how to handle hard water, check out our Water Hardness guide.
How Do I Close My Water Account?
If you’re moving out, you will need to close your water account with your supplier and settle your account so you can leave knowing you don’t owe anything for your water. You can close your account either over the phone or online.
In order to close your account, if you have a water meter you should make sure you have a final water meter reading ready. This is important since your reading can be used as evidence when you stopped being billed by your water provider.
How Do I Set Up My Water Bill?
When you arrive in your new home, you’ll need to identify it as an unmetered or metered property. If you have a water meter, you will be billed according to your water usage. If you don’t have a water meter, your bill will be based on your property’s rateable value.
What is Rateable Value? Rateable Value was the way that council rates were calculated prior to 1990. Although this is no longer used, water companies still base their charges off of rateable value. Rateable value is calculated via an assessment of a property’s condition, age, and size.
What Information Do I Need for My Water Bill?
You can set up your water bill either online or over the phone. If doing it over the phone, you will need to be the account holder so you can set up the account and payment details in your name. If you’re not the account holder, you should have power of attorney.
When signing up for your water bill, you will need:
- First and last name
- Email address and phone number
- Address
- Water meter reading (if you have a meter)
- Bank Details
When you set up your water bill, you can choose which payment method you prefer in order to pay your bill. You can pay your water bill either through direct debit, by a card payment, at the post office, or by sending a cheque. Different water suppliers will also offer different frequency for payment, meaning you can choose to pay annually, every six months, or monthly.
Find out about Paying Your Water Bills!
Is There Any Support for My Water Bills?
There is lots of support available for customers who are struggling with their water bill. If you have a medical condition that requires you to use more water than normal, then you should be able to qualify for the WaterSure Scheme. The WaterSure Scheme caps your water bills to the regional average so you don't have to worry about paying more if you are using a lot of water.
You are eligible for the scheme if you have a medical condition such as:
- Medicial Condition Covered by WaterSure
- Desquamation - flakey skin loss
- Weeping Skin Disease
- Incontinence
- Abdominal Stoma
- Crohn’s Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Renal Failure - where a dialysis machine is required at home
Or if you have three or more children who are living at home and are under 19, and are receiving one of the following benefits:
- Benefits Covered by WaterSure
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Income-Based Employment and Support Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
