How we calculate your bill

Here you'll find information about our charges for the year 2023-24 (1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024) and 2024-25 (1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025).

Our household customers’ bills have now increased for the financial year 2024–25.

This means the average household customer who pays for both water and wastewater services will see bills rise 9%, from £1.20 per day (£439 per year) to £1.31 per day (£479 per year). Meanwhile, for the average household, water only bills will go up by 7.7% and waste only by 10%.

Inflation and increased investment are the two key drivers of this increase – find out Where Your Money Goes. However, crucially, alongside this increase we're offering a wider range of support for customers, thanks to a £96 million package which includes payment holidays, discounts on bills of at least 45%, debt write-offs, access to a Hardship Fund, and even grants for household items. Find out how to apply.

How we calculate your bill

We recognise it’s not always easy to get your head around how any utility company works out what you owe. It can be complicated. Here, you’ll find a simpler breakdown of our charges for water, wastewater (that’s all the dirty water we take away from your homes and properties) and sometimes other services.

How charges are worked out

Our water regulator Ofwat sets a ceiling on the amount of money any company can make. Within this context, we review our charges every year and have these approved by our non-executive board as part of our governance process.

We charge you based on your meter reading, which tells us how much water you’ve used and dirty water we’ll need to take away (most of you have a meter these days).

Take a look at how much water the average household uses to get an idea of what to expect from your bill.

Charges for metered properties

Water meters record the amount of water you’ve used. In the table below, you’ll see how we charge per cubic meter. One cubic metre is a thousand litres, or put simply, it’s about the amount you’d use if you took 11 baths, or 31 showers (each lasting four minutes), or flushed the loo 166 times (using the large button).

Service	Annual standing charge 23/24*	Charge £ per cubic metre 23/24	Annual standing charge 24/25*	Charge £ per cubic metre 24/25
Water supply	£20.96	£1.716	£23.96	£1.958
Wastewater	£24.21	£2.176	£27.76	£2.461
Surface water drainage	£23.00**		£25.98**
Highway drainage	£11.50		£12.99

23/24 - Charges for the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
24/25 - Charges for the year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

* For normal domestic meters

** In certain circumstances a surface water rebate is available.

Other charging methods

When you don’t have a water meter (you can apply for a water meter), you’ll be charged in one of the following ways:

Assessed bills: based on the number of bedrooms at your property, or whether someone is a sole occupant. See table below
Unmetered bills: based on the rateable value of your home, as set at 31 March 1990 (this measure is set by a branch of the government and is broadly based on how much your property would fetch in rent over the period of a year). See table below
A fixed annual fee: if your home doesn't have a rateable value and you're not on an assessed charge.

Charges for assessed properties

Number of bedrooms	Water charges for year 23/24	Sewerage charges for year 23/24*	Water charges for year 24/25	Sewerage charges for year 24/25**
Single occupier	£126.93	£182.49	£144.77	£206.42
1 bedroom	£161.25	£221.66	£183.93	£250.72
2 bedrooms	£195.57	£263.00	£223.09	£297.48
3 bedrooms	£221.31	£293.47	£252.46	£331.94
4 bedrooms	£229.89	£302.17	£262.25	£341.78
5 bedrooms	£241.90	£317.40	£275.95	£359.01

* If you receive a surface water rebate deduct £23.00
** If you receive a surface water rebate deduct £25.98

Charges for unmetered properties

Service	Annual standing charge 23/24	Charge per £ of rateable value 23/24	Minimum charge 23/24	Annual standing charge 24/25	Charge per £ of rateable value 24/25	Minimum charge 24/25
Water supply	£17.11	£1.078	£84.04	£19.46	£1.230	£95.82
Wastewater	£19.61	£1.316	£112.87	£22.26	£1.488	£127.69
Surface water drainage	£23.00*			£25.98*
Highway drainage	£11.50			£12.99