Bournemouth Water: Supplier Info, Rates and Contact

Supplying clean water to over 500,000 people in Bournemouth and beyond, Bournemouth Water delivers approximately 106 million litres of water to 205,000 homes and 16,000 businesses. Founded by an act of parliament, it has grown dramatically and is now a part of South West Water.

About Bournemouth Water

An Act of Parliament established Bournemouth Water in 1863, comprising waterworks in Bourne Valley and a reservoir in nearby Parkstone. Lord Wimborne purchased the reservoir in the early 1900s and he constructed a golf club on the site of the former Parkstone Reservoir.

In 1994, Bournemouth Water and West Hampshire Water agreed to a merger. The new company would become Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water.

A further 16 years would go by until July 2010, when they were acquired by Sembcorp Utilities, a subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries. Sembcorp is an energy and urban development company. Shortly after, in January 2011, Sembcorp renamed Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water to Sembcorp Bournemouth Water Ltd.

Sembcorp controlled Bournemouth Water for around five years, when the Pennon Group plc, owners of South West Water, purchased Bournemouth Water in April 2015 for £100.3 million. As part of the acquisition, they integrated Bournemouth Water into the South West Water group whilst maintaining the Bournemouth Water brand.

Bournemouth Water Login

With a Bournemouth Water Login, you can easily manage your water account from your computer, phone, or tablet. It’s really easy to register and you only need your customer reference number and postcode.

When you register, you can also help to save the environment by opting for paperless billing. This is optional but is an easy way to reduce your paper consumption and do some good for the planet.

Once you are registered for your Bournemouth Water login, you will be able to:

• Pay your water bills online
• Change your contact details
• Give a water meter reading
• Request paperless billing
• Let Bournemouth Water know you’re moving house
• Apply for a water meter
• Apply for a leak or renovation allowance
• View payment details, plans and bill history
• View your water meter reading history

Bournemouth Water Contact

Unlike other suppliers who might have several numbers for different departments, Bournemouth Water contact only has a single number for all your Bournemouth Water related needs.

Bournemouth Water Moving House

If you’re moving house, it’s important to tell Bournemouth Water so they can transfer your account to your new property or sort out your last bill if you are leaving the Bournemouth Water supply area.

If you can access a computer, this is the easiest way to inform Bournemouth Water of your upcoming move, and it should take about three minutes to complete their online form.

You’ll need some information to hand when you complete the form like:

• Your old address
• Your new address
• Your customer account number
• A meter reading, if your old or new home has a water meter
• Bank account details, if you are going to pay by Direct Debit

If you have that information ready, then it is really quick and easy to let Bournemouth Water know you’re moving home.

Bournemouth Water Pay Bill

With Bournemouth Water paying the bill, you have so many options available and you just need to choose which is the best for you:

1. Direct Debit
2. Pay Online with a Bournemouth Water login
3. Pay at the Post Office
4. Pay by post
5. Pay over the phone
6. Pay by bank transfer
7. Pay with a Bournemouth Water Payment Slip

If you’re struggling to pay your Bournemouth Water bill, Bournemouth Water is there to help. If you’ve lost your job, are on a low income or had an emergency, the last thing you need is more worry about paying your Bournemouth Water bill.

There are a range of options available to you and Bournemouth Water is available to help you every step of the way. They even offer home visits from their WaterCare advisors who can support and guide you through the process and even help fill out the application forms.

You can contact them on 01202 590 059 Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm.

Bournemouth Water Rates

Every year on 1 April, Bournemouth Water rates are adjusted in line with the legislation set out by Ofwat, the industry regulator.

They set the Bournemouth Water rates for water supply every five years, as agreed with Ofwat, to determine how much to charge for your water rates, Bournemouth Water considers:

• The cost of maintaining the water treatment plant and the pipe network
• How to reduce the risk of service disruption
• How to improve priority areas in the water supply network

As well as this, Bournemouth Water also analyses ways to improve efficiency to reduce the cost to the customer and keep your bills as low as possible. At the time of writing, Bournemouth Water has one of the lowest average bills in the UK at £136 a year, well below the average UK water bill of £408 a year.

If you want to read more about the average UK water rates and how to lower your water bill, then read our guide to UK water bills.

Bournemouth Water Tariffs

Bournemouth Water offers two main tariffs depending on if you have a water meter installed on your property or not. If you do, then your tariff will comprise a standing charge plus a rate per cubic metre (m3).

For customers who don’t have a water meter installed, you will pay a standing charge plus a rate based on the value of your property as of March 1990 - they call this the Rateable Value (RV).

Unmetered Supply Tariff

For customers who are on an unmetered supply tariff, it could save you money if you opt to have a water meter installed. Factors to consider are your annual water consumption and the RV of your home. This handy calculator from the CCW (Consumer Council for Water) will help guide you to make the right choice and. Unless you live in an area where compulsory metering is being introduced, you will have up to 24 months to decide whether to keep the water meter or return to an unmetered tariff.

To check if your property has a water meter, you can look at your Bournemouth Water bill. If you don’t have a bill, you can look inside your house near the main stop tap, in your front garden or near the house. To read more about water meters and how you can have one installed on your property, our essential guide to water meters will answer all your questions.

For customers who are on a metered supply tariff, they bill you for your consumption.

Here’s what you can expect to pay for your Bournemouth Water metered supply depending on how many people live in your home.

WaterCare and WaterSure Tariffs

Besides the two main tariffs offered by Bournemouth Water, they also offer the WaterCare and WaterSure tariffs to help reduce the bills of customers who are struggling to pay.

To be eligible for either of these tariffs, you must meet certain criteria, such as receiving certain benefits and/or tax credits, plus some other criteria that will determine which of those tariffs from Bournemouth Water you are eligible for.

WaterCare and WaterSure WaterCare and WaterSure tariffs are only available to customers who have a water meter installed.

WaterCare Tariff

The WaterCare tariff is available to customers who meet the following criteria:

Receive one or more of the following benefits, or have someone else who is a permanent resident at the address receive the benefits:

• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Job-seeker’s Allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance (or Income Support if still being paid)
• Pension Credit (Guaranteed element only)
• Universal Credit (Housing element)
  

AND Household equivalised weekly income must be below £295 per week.

How is Household Equivilised Income calculated? By considering your household income after you deduct housing costs and consider the household’s size and composition, along with the bill to income ratio. The bill to income ratio must be higher than 5%.

The Bournemouth Water WaterSure tariff is a reduction of the standard tariff based on five bands, determined by your specific household circumstances.

Bournemouth Water calculates your bill based on a fixed charge + consumption per cubic meter.

WaterSure Tariff

Similar to the WaterCare Tariff from Bournemouth Water, the WaterSure tariff is there to assist customers who receive certain benefits and require a high level of water usage because of a medical condition or by having a large family.

For example, if your household has an annual consumption of 250m3, then your bill under the WaterSure Tariff would be £141.18 instead of £291.79 if you were on the standard metered tariff from Bournemouth Water.

As with WaterCare, you must have a water meter installed on your property.

To qualify for the WaterSure tariff, you must meet the following requirements:

Receive one or more of the following benefits, or have someone else who is resident at the address to receive the benefits or tax credit:
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Job-seeker’s Allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance (or Income Support if still being paid)
• Pension Credit (Guaranteed element only)
• Universal Credit (Housing element)

AND

You, your child, or someone else who is resident at the same address suffers from one or more of the following conditions that require a vast amount of water usage:
• Desquamating conditions (flaky skin loss)
• Weeping skin disease (eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration)
• Incontinence
• Abdominal stomas
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Renal failure requiring home dialysis (except where the health authority makes a
• contribution to the cost of water used in the process of dialysis during the billing period)

If you suffer from a condition that isn’t on the above list, you may still qualify for the Bournemouth Water WaterSure tariff. However, you will need to provide documentation from a registered GP supporting your case and that you, or someone resident at your property, need to use a large amount of water.

The doctor’s certificate should include the following details when you submit it to Bournemouth Water:

1. The name of the patient
2. The diagnosis of the condition
3. The date
4. The name and address of the doctor

Bournemouth Water may reject your application if you do not include a certificate from the doctor, so it’s important to provide as much information as possible when applying to avoid rejections and delays in getting onto a tariff that is more appropriate for you.

Alternatively, if there are three or more children under the age of 19 living at the property permanently, then you could also qualify for Bournemouth Water WaterSure tariff, provided you receive child benefit payments for them.

If you qualify as a large family, then you will need to renew your application yearly and Bournemouth Water might ask you to provide proof of entitlement, such as benefit books or entitlement letters. Again, Bournemouth Water could reject your application if you do not provide proof of entitlement when applying for the WaterSure tariff.

Bournemouth Water applications for the WaterSure tariff are implemented from the start of the billing period in which the application is made and you are only entitled to remain on the tariff as long as the above conditions are met.

If your circumstances improve whilst on the Bournemouth Water WaterSure tariff, then it is very important that you notify Bournemouth Water of any changes in circumstance, your tariff will then change to a standard tariff from the next billing period.

Bournemouth Water Business Customers

If you have a property that is solely used for business or commercial purposes, then you will fall under the business customer category and will have different rates than residential customers. Your rate will depend on which retailer you have chosen for your supply.

Since April 2017, all eligible businesses and charities in England can switch their water supplier, similar to how you can switch your energy supplier or phone company. Whilst Bournemouth Water will still supply your water and the physical infrastructure, such as the pipe network, your retailer bills you and handles the customer service.

Bournemouth Water Hardness

Water hardness is when your water has a significant amount of dissolved minerals in your water, notably calcium and magnesium, after it has passed through the limestone and sandstone rocks, making it harder. Bournemouth Water supply is moderately hard, with around 270ppm (parts per million) of Calcium Carbonate.

In certain parts of Bournemouth, north of Ringwood, the water supply is noticeably harder with 320ppm.

With hard water, you may find that limescale builds up more on your home appliances such as your kettle and dishwasher, and it can affect the taste of the water. Your skin might also become drier and itchy, and your soaps might not be as effective.

You can combat this by adding a softening agent to your water. These are usually plumbed-in devices that use salt to remove the hardness from the water. We recommend that if you have one of these then do not drink the water directly from your tap as the sodium content of your water will be higher which is not good for health, especially if you are on a low-sodium diet.

What we recommend is that you purchase a jug filter for your water. These filters come with a cartridge that filters the water through activated charcoal or an ion exchange resin to soften the water without the use of salt, making it perfect for healthy consumption.

Is hard water safe to drink? Hard water is perfectly safe for consumption. The UK Drinking Water Inspectorate has given Bournemouth Water a water quality rating of 99.96%, meaning that your tap water is safe to drink.