Understanding your water bill

Charging for water services is a complex matter, involving both the law (primarily the 1991 Water Industry Act) and our economic regulator, the Water Services Regulation Authority, which is referred to as Ofwat.

Your supply is either unmetered or metered, and this normally determines the way we charge for your water supply.

Unmetered – we normally use the rateable value (RV) of your property and calculate the cost for the year in advance

Metered – we normally read the meter twice a year and you pay for the water you actually use

If you have an unmetered bill and a monthly payment arrangement in place, your annual bill is split over 10 monthly instalments: May to February. We do not take payments in March and April because during these months we generate bills for the forthcoming financial year.

If you have a metered bill and pay by a monthly budget arrangement we can take a payment each month of the year. We will automatically review your payments annually.

To set up a Direct Debit please click here

There is no cost to close your account. Depending on the status of your account and any payment arrangement you may have, there could be a final balance to pay. If you're moving and need to tell us about your change of address, please complete this online form. Alternatively contact us on 0345 600 3600

Your bill is due and payable on issue. To pay this online please click here

If you have subscribed to online billing, you will receive an email advising you when you have a new bill. If you are facing problems paying or wish to discuss a payment arrangement to spread the cost, please contact us.

We supply water to 500,000 homes and businesses across Bristol City, North Somerset and areas of Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. That's about 1.2m people who have access to our water every day. Wessex Water is responsible for providing sewerage services for the majority of our customers when they've finished using the water.

We also offer a range of alternative payment options for those struggling to pay, to find out more click here

Your property's rateable value is shown on the front page of your unmetered bill. If you have not yet moved into a property and would like to find out the rateable value, please contact us on 0345 600 3600

During March and April we update all unmetered accounts with the new annual charges and reset all payment plans for the new billing year. It means we don't take payments for unmetered bills in these months.

Your metered payment amounts are calculated based on an estimated annual bill plus any outstanding balance on your account, divided by the total number of instalments due.

If you overpay us as a result of our error, we will repay the appropriate amount as soon as we are aware of the problem. If a Direct Debit payment is taken in error, we will correct the error usually in one working day.

If your property is unmetered, the charges you pay are linked to the rateable value of your home and not to the amount of water you use. If you have recently moved into your property, the rateable value will probably be different from that of your previous home. This may be why your charges have gone up.

You may be better off switching to a water meter. Find out more by clicking here 

The rateable value is individual to your property and is based on the valuation set by the Inland Revenue on 31 March 1990 which we are required by law to use.

We can name two customers on a bill and make notes on the account which details other tenants within the property. If we have evidence of a tenancy agreement that shows the liable tenants, we would chase all parties until the complete payment is received. It's the responsibility of the tenants to ensure the bills are paid in full and on time. We won't become involved in third party disputes.

Unmetered and metered charges are structured differently. Metered standing charges cover the extra costs of maintaining and reading the meter and producing the bill. The metered sewerage standing charge also includes the cost of dealing with surface water run off from properties and highway drainage. These costs are included in the charge per pound of the rateable value for properties without meters. Therefore, you cannot directly compare metered and rateable value standing charges.

When you switch to a meter, you will be billed for any unmetered charges incurred until the day your meter is fitted.If you have paid your unmetered charges in advance, we will refund any overpayment to you by cheque or directly into your bank account if you pay by Direct Debit.

If you pay by Direct Debit a refund will be sent directly to your bank account. If not, a cheque will be sent in the post to you within five working days of your request.

There are a number of benefits to subscribing to online billing. It allows you to access your bills and current balance online.We will send you an email when you have a new bill to view - it means you can access your bill sooner than if it was posted. It also helps us reduce our impact on the environment. There is no charge for this service.

Sign up for online billing here

Customers without a meter pay their water charges according to the rateable value of their property.Rateable values were assessed by the valuation office of the Inland Revenue.

Following the introduction of the community charge and subsequently the council tax, the valuation office stopped setting or amending rateable values on 31st March 1990. They cannot be changed by us.If you feel you are paying too much for your services, it may benefit you to have a water meter installed. For more information, visit our household or business webpage on water meters, depending on what type of customer you are.

If you need to temporariliy turn off your water supply, there's a £50 charge to have it turned back on. For connections that have been permanently disconncected, we'd need to make the reconnection as a new supply. There would also be a charge for this. You can read more about our charges here .

If an unmetered property is empty, unfurnished and no water is being used, you will not be charged. If you are moving out and the property is going to be vacant for a period of time, please notify us - you may not have to pay charges from the date the furniture is removed. If you still require water services or the property is furnished, full charges still apply.

If you're aged 60 and over and live in the UK, you may be able to apply for pension credit subject to your income. Alternatively you may be eligible to have your income topped up by the government.  Find out more or call the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 055 6688.

If you receive pension credit we may be able to offer a discount of up to 20% on your water bill. To apply all adults in your household must be in receipt of pension credit. Find out more about pension credit and apply for a discount online. Please contact us on 0345 600 3 600 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) .

Alternatively you can email us at customer.services@bwbsl.co.uk or complete a form here

If you subscribe to online billing, you can view your current balance online in the Account summary.. The balance should be updated within four working days of a payment being made.For more information please contact us on 0345 600 3600

All the bills produced will be available for you to view online. You can open your bills in pdf format and either view or print them as required. If you require a copy of a bill for a period before you registered or have not registered, please contact us. To sign up for online billing please click here

If your property is metered and you have a monthly Direct Debit budget payment arrangement with us, your payments will build up a credit towards your bill when it becomes due. The credit built up should be sufficient to pay the bill in full. We will review your payments automatically once a year and make any adjustment to the payment amount should there be a shortfall or overpayment.

If you are in credit by more than £30 when we review your payments each year, we will return this to your bank account automatically . Your new monthly payments will be adjusted as appropriate.If you have a credit on your account for any other reason and would like it to be refunded, please contact us.

No. Because unmetered water bills are based on the rateable value of a property and not its council tax banding, you may find that your neighbour lives in a similar house but that the rateable value of their property is different. This means your water and/or sewerage bills will be different too. The rateable value does not reflect your council tax band which means that, if this changes, your rateable value will not.

Your current balance is available for you to view in the 'Account summary : payment' screen and should be updated within four working days of a payment being made. If you are still unsure whether your payment has been received or would like further information please contact us.

We have a responsibility to read your meter at least once a year to check that it is working correctly. Find out more on our meters here

The single occupier discounts associated with the council tax do not apply to water or sewerage charges. If you are a low water user, you may benefit from having a water meter fitted. Found out more about our meters here 

We do not charge VAT on household water bills. If you are a business customer VAT is added to all new bills until we receive the correct SIC code advising us of your exemption. If you think you are being charged VAT incorrectly, please contact us on 0345 600 3600

Yes, your Direct Debit has been set up to pay off any outstanding balance and to build up a credit to pay off your bill when the meter is read. If your account is in credit by more than £30 at the time of your bill, this will be refunded automatically into your bank account within five working days. If you think you are paying too much please contact us on 0345 600 3600

Not all organisations accept bills that you have printed from an online account as original copies for proof of your address when you are moving house and/or remortgaging. Please check with the organisation whether they accept printed online bills. If you require a paper copy of your latest bill for these reasons, please contact us on 0345 600 3600

You can pay your bill by debit or credit card using our 24-hour automated telephone service by calling 0345 600 1019. You'll need to quote your 13 digit reference number which begins with 20 and can be found on your bill under your customer number. You can also pay your bill online via our website, or through your online billing account.

You can pay with credit or debit card. You can visit our website here to find out more about online billing and direct debit. 

The assessed charge is used if you've requested a meter, but we are unable to fit one. For information about charges, select whether you are a household customer or business customer.