In April 2017, the water market will deregulate, meaning over 1.2 million eligible non-household customers will be able to choose their supplier of water and wastewater, instead of having their supplier designated dependent on location.
The money will save money for eligible businesses; the standard billing system will give way to flexible packages meaning energy advisers can tailor the contract to fit the business as one package does not fit all.
Following the change, The Energy Network are well positioned to help you decrease your water costs. To help you to save money and make your business more energy efficient, we will need a copy of your water bill. From this, there are a number of areas our energy advisers can identify to help reduce your water costs and consider what your business requirements are when it comes to signing up for an energy contract.
Identification of possible leakage/ shared supplies
If you are on a business water meter, your meter will record the water passing through it; regardless of whether this is used by you or if it is lost via a leak. This means you will be paying an increased rate on your water bill as your meter thinks you are using all of this water. Identifying possible leakage in pipes on your property is therefore important to ensure you’re not paying for services you’re not receiving.
Potential for water efficiency devices
There are a wide number of devices which can be fitted to new or pre-existing buildings to lower your water use and bills. For pre-existing premises, these include aerated taps which limit consumption, urinal control sensors which uses the minimal amount of water whilst ensuring a high level of hygiene. Low or dual flush toilets which use significantly less water than a full flush toilet and supply restrictor valves to maintain a constant flow. For new building developments, in theory, water efficiency should be standard practice. However, it’s often overlooked amongst the other plans for the building, so practices which will save money in the long term are often overlooked in the short term- for example, tap flow rates in some buildings are six times stronger than required which wastes thousands of pounds. We’ll take a look at your premises and ensure they’re energy efficient in order to reduce your water bills.
Investigation of Trade Effluent charges
Trade Effluent is any non-domestic wastewater which is produced from either commercial or industrial premises. These charges do not include wastewater from flushing toilets, kitchens or hand washing. As with any portion of your bill, it’s important to investigate the charges you’re paying, and trade effluent is no different; making sure you’re not overpaying for these charges.
Validation of surface water charges
Surface water is rainfall which falls onto a premises and flows directly (or indirectly) into the public drainage system. This charge covers the cost to remove and process the water, and this charge is based on the square meterage of your property; the chargeable area if you have a water meter, if your property doesn’t have a water meter, you will pay the charging value for this. We will review your property and ensure you are paying the correct figure for this charge.
Confirmation of correct meter sizing
By getting a water meter installed gives you greater control over your water bill, and gives you the potential to save lots of money. Upon installation, the size of your water meter is based on the water used at that time; since this can change over time, we check that you still have the correct sized meter to make sure you’re only paying for the water you’re using.
Estimated Billing
Sometimes, charges for metered properties are based on estimates. If a service provider can’t obtain a meter reading then the bill will be an estimate. If the meter is new to a property, the bill will be based off the average number of occupants in the building; usually a meter is read twice per year, and the bills are issued shortly after your meter has been read.
Due to the bill being an estimate, they can sometimes work out higher or lower than your actual usage, especially if the meter is new. It is worth reviewing these estimated bills as if you think you’re paying too much for the amount you’re using, we can take a new reading and challenge the bill, getting them reissued.
Investigation of fixed charges
With your water charges, on your bill you will see there are three main areas (four if your business pays for trade effluent.) These include water, wastewater, and drainage.
Your water charge is the amount you pay to ensure you receive clean, fresh water. With a water meter, you pay for the water you use, if your business has an unmetered supply, the price is based on the rateable value of the property.
The wastewater charge is the cost of cleaning/treating the water that goes down the drain. The price of this is also dependent on whether you’re a metered or unmetered customer.
The sewerage and drainage charges is the cost of collecting and treating the rainwater which falls on your property; bringing it back to the supply system. There are two factors to this charge; the first is the roads charge of your contribution to the draining systems of the local public roads. The second is a property charge for the drainage coming from your property.
The fixed charges, due to the fact they’re made up of multiple aspects of costs, can sometimes have errors where you’re overcharged for your use or contribution to the drainage which is why we can save you money once we’ve looked at your bills and concluded what you’re paying for and if this is or is not accurate.
Duplicate billing and over charges
If you’re not always aware of your billing date for your water bills, you could be caught unaware and accidentally billed twice for the same time period. Due to the tariffs placed on the water bill with various charges, you could be being overcharged for your water. To make sure this isn’t happening, we take a look through your bills and check what you’ve paid for- and when you’ve paid.
The billing system for your water bill is a complicated process made up of a various set of factors. You could be overpaying for your bill, so it’s essential we go through your bill and decrease the cost. The Energy Network have an expert team of advisers who will work with you as deregulation comes into play in the New Year.