Changes to our charges

Find out why our charges have increased, what this means for bills, 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 increased on 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 have our charges increased?

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.

What does this mean for your bill?

To help us deliver the required improvements in our services, our charges increased on 1 April. These increases mean that for households with combined water and sewerage services provided by Wessex Water:

• a typical metered bill (based on a usage of 100m³ per year) will be 21% higher this year, compared to 2024-25
• a typical unmetered bill (based on the average property rateable value) will be 24% higher this year, compared to 2024-25.

These percentage increases are for a typical household that stays on the same tariff and (for metered customers) uses the same volume of water. The actual change to your bill may differ from these amounts – please see further information below.

You can also view our full charges for more information on how the individual parts of your bill (including standing charges) have changed.

Bill changes explained

While we expect that most customers on our standard tariffs will see bill increases of around 21% to 24%, the actual change in bills depends on some factors that are specific to each household.

For metered customers, the change in bills will be affected by:

• how much water you use – households that use more water will see larger increases. 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 time of year you receive your bill – this affects how long the new charges have been applied.

For unmetered customers, the change in bills depends on the rateable value of your property. Households with higher rateable values will see slightly larger increases.

The percentage 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.

Finally, if your water or sewerage services are supplied by another company, your overall bill increase is likely to be different. This is because each company’s charges have changed by different amounts, reflecting each company’s specific requirements as well as Ofwat’s decision on their business plan. Bristol Water customers can visit their website for a summary of relevant charges.

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, as we can help you with your bill.

Customers on our Assist tariff will see their charges go up by no more than inflation. And discounted rates for low-income pensioners and customers on our WaterSure tariff remain available on the same terms as before.

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 – see our advice on how to save water, energy and money.