Water and Wastewater Insights
Helping organisations understand what sits behind their water costs
Clear information, carefully explained
Our Insights are intended to make non-household water and wastewater matters easier to understand. We aim to distinguish general information from questions that require investigation of a particular account, property or occupancy arrangement.
Water services and charging arrangements vary between premises. Our articles therefore provide general guidance and should not be treated as confirmation that a particular charge is correct or incorrect.
Where lease interpretation or another legal issue arises, appropriate professional advice may be required.
Water and Wastewater Insight Categories
We have grouped our Insights into four distinct categories:
Understanding Your Charges
Billing, Meters and Consumption
Property and Occupancy
Independent Reviews
Water and wastewater charges can be difficult to understand. Bills may contain several charging elements, account information may have developed over many years, and changes to premises, meters or site operations may not always be easy to trace.
We believe our Insights help provide clear, practical guidance to help businesses, schools, academies, charities, public bodies and other organisations understand the issues that can affect non-household water charges.
Whether you receive water bills directly or costs are recovered through a service charge, rent or another arrangement, the starting point is understanding what you are paying for and why.
Water Is Usually Clear
Water Charges Often Aren’t
Non-Return to Sewer Allowances: Could Your Wastewater Charges Be Based on Too Much Water?
Wastewater volume charges are commonly calculated by reference to the water supplied to a property. But what happens when a material proportion of that water evaporates, enters a product, is used for irrigation or leaves the site by another route? A Non-Return to Sewer allowance may help ensure charges better reflect the volume actually returning to the public sewer.
Concessionary Surface Water Drainage Charges: Could Your Organisation Qualify?
Some community organisations and schools may qualify for reduced or capped surface water drainage charges. However, eligibility, charging treatment and application requirements vary between wastewater wholesalers.
What Are Surface Water Drainage Charges?
Surface water drainage charges relate to rainwater draining from a property into the public sewer network. Learn how these charges may arise and what information organisations should understand.
Why Has Our Business Water Bill Increased?
A higher business water bill does not always have one simple cause. Learn which changes in consumption, readings, tariffs and site arrangements may warrant investigation.
What Makes Up A Business Water Bill?
Business water bills can contain more than water consumption. Understand the different services and charging elements that may affect your organisation.