- Southern Water offers a range of support to its customers who may find it tough to pay their bills
- Southern Water’s combined water and wastewater bills fall by 1.3%
Southern Water would like to remind its customers of the support available to them as many costs jump this week. Although Southern Water’s combined bills are going down, many other household expenses are going up at the start of the financial year.
Southern Water, which provides water and wastewater services in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex offers a range of support to customers going through tough times – including payment holidays, special tariffs and tailored payment plans.
They also offer support and extra help for those living with long-term illness, disability, the elderly and even new parents or parents with young children, who along with others, are entitled to join the Priority Service Register (PSR).
Katy Taylor, Chief Customer Officer, says: “If you’re finding it hard to pay your bills due to the surging costs-of-living or for any other reason, our message remains: ‘Please get in touch with us because we can help. Ring us or visit https://www.southernwater.co.uk/account/help-paying-your-bill’”
Southern Water currently provides over 126,000 customers across its region with some form of financial assistance, an increase of 21,000 since the start of the pandemic. Last year it provided over £12.5 million worth of support.
Saving water can also help reduce bills and the company also offer a free water-saving home visit, where one of its engineers could fit up to £100 of water-saving devices in a customer’s home.
In February, Southern Water announced that the average combined household bill for water and wastewater treatment services would be falling by £5 a month (1.3%). This was the fourth year in a row that its bills have fallen in real terms (adjusted for inflation) and the second year that our combined bills will be lower in absolute terms.
Notes to editors:
2022–23 Average household water and waste bill will be £401.54; this is a decrease of 1.3% in actual terms compared to the 2021–22 average bill of £406.91
- The water element of the bill is £170.80, which is an increase of 2.1% compared to the 2021–22 value of £167.23. This constitutes a reduction of 2.4% in real terms when adjusting for inflation.
- The wastewater element of the bill is £230.74, which is a decrease of 3.7% compared to the 2021-22 value of £239.71. This constitutes a reduction of 7.9% in real terms when adjusting for inflation.
The inflation assumed in 2022-23 charges is 4.6% CPIH
Where the money from bills goes
The money that customers pay to Southern Water is vital. As well as providing day-to-day drinking water and wastewater services, customers’ money is also used to invest in protecting our precious bathing waters and sensitive environments such as chalk streams.
Southern Water invested a record £610 million across its network over the last year – which included fixing a record 12,000 pipes – all part of its over £2 billion investment to improve our assets and network. This will help to reduce 80% pollution incidents by 2025 and 80% of storm overflows in its catchments by 2030. In the coming year Southern Water will invest a further £650 million.
Priority Services
Learn about the priority services register for addition support with water supply for those who cannot be without water:https://www.southernwater.co.uk/account/extra-help-and-support