Planning for bill increases
Find out why water bills are increasing, how much they are set to increase, and how we can help if you're struggling to pay.
We are investing more than ever in our services. To help us deliver improvements, our charges will increase as of 1 April 2025.
We know that price rises are always unwelcome, so we can help with your water bill if you are struggling to pay.
Why are bills set to increase?
Over the next five years, we are embarking upon a major programme of work across our water and sewerage networks. Our plan for 2025-2030 sets out the improvements we are seeking to deliver for our customers and the environment. These include:
- removing 1,550 tonnes of nutrients in our waterways to improve river and coastal water quality
- reducing the operation of more than 100 storm overflows – harnessing traditional treatment solutions alongside nature-based solutions such as wetlands
- rolling out innovative sewer monitors to predict problems in the network and real-time water quality monitoring for bathing waters
- reducing leakage across our network by a further 20% (compared to 2019-20 levels).
To achieve this, our regulator, Ofwat, has approved £2.9 billion of new investment. Much of this investment is required to meet new standards and obligations that are coming into force, as well as more stretching targets that regulators are setting for the water industry from 2025 onwards. It also reflects customers’ and stakeholders’ views about what improvements should be prioritised, following extensive research.
The chart below shows the key areas where we are investing.
Delivering these improvements will affect customers’ bills, but our five-year plan does not include any investments that have already been funded. We are not asking customers to pay for the same investment twice.
How much will bills go up from 1 April 2025?
To help you plan, we have set out below the expected combined bill for both water and sewerage services for a range of household types (where both services are provided by Wessex Water), as well as the monthly increase from 1 April.
These example figures are based on a typical set of households, if they stayed on the same tariff. The actual change to your bill is likely to differ from these amounts, as it will depend on:
- how much water you have used and the time of year you receive your bill (if you’re on a water meter)
- the rateable value of your property (if you’re not on a meter).
Please view our full charges for more information on how the individual parts of your bill (including standing charges) are changing.
If your water or sewerage services are supplied by another company, you’ll need to seek further information from them about this part of your bill. Bristol Water customers can visit their website for a summary of the changes to water-only bills.
Metered households
|
Household customer type |
Example annual bill* |
Increase per month |
|---|---|---|
|
Typical one-person household
(Based on 58m3 of water used per year) |
£430 |
£5.82 (19.4%) |
|
Typical two-person household
(Based on 90m3 of water used per year) |
£614 |
£8.85 (20.9%) |
|
Typical three-person household
(Based on 108m3 of water used per year) |
£718 |
£10.56 (21.4%) |
|
Typical four-person household
(Based on 128m3 of water used per year) |
£833 |
£12.45 (21.9%) |
* Inclusive of standing charges
Unmetered households
|
Household customer type |
Example annual bill* |
Increase per month |
|---|---|---|
|
Low rateable value |
£572 |
£9.13 (23.7%) |
|
Medium rateable value |
£912 |
£14.71 (24%) |
|
High rateable value |
£1,240 |
£20.10 (24.1%) |
* Inclusive of standing charges
Customers who are already on our Assist tariff will see their charges go up by no more than inflation. Discounted rates for low-income pensioners and customers on our WaterSure Scheme, will continue to be available.
Bill changes explained
These increases are largely due to the increased investment requirements in our 2025-2030 plan, as well as the impact of inflation.
The chart below shows, for a typical two-person household, how much these different factors are adding to next year’s monthly bills.
Larger households that use more water will see higher overall increases compared to smaller households. This is partly because we have limited the increase in standing charges, which allows customers to save money by using less water and switching to a meter.
The increase in unmetered charges is also slightly higher than metered charges. This is because we have seen low-usage unmetered customers switch to a meter, which means the average consumption of unmetered customers has gone up. This adjustment helps ensure a fair charge for those still paying based on rateable value.
What if you are struggling to pay your bill?
We understand for some households an increase in your water bill could be hard to afford. If you are struggling, please don’t worry, we can help you with your bill.
How to make savings
You might also find you could make savings on your bill by having a meter fitted. The average saving made for customers switching to a meter is £125.
We can all save energy and money by using less hot water – find out how much you could save by using less water.