News
Northumbrian Water Group To Invest £3.6bn In Water Network Improvements
Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), the holding company of Northumbrian Water and Essex and Suffolk Water, has unveiled its five-year improvement plan for the water and sewer network, which will see £3.6 billion invested across the region.
Work is due to begin this April, which will see some of the company’s key infrastructure upgraded, including treatment works, pipelines and pumping stations, with the aim being to improve its environmental performance and ensure that customers receive reliable and high-quality water and wastewater services.
In order to fund these investments, however, customers will see an increase in their water bills, funds that are guaranteed only to go towards improving the network in the company’s catchment area.
Furthermore, commitments have been made to spend 60p in every pound with local suppliers so that funds stay in the region to help support jobs and bolster the local economy.
Mark Wilkinson, head of affordability support at NWG, explained that these investments are necessary in order to ensure that customers are provided with a service that they can rely on, continuing to enjoy clean and clear drinking water, as well as helping to protect the environment.
He went on to say: “We do understand though, that the increase in water bill prices can be a concern for our customers. We want to make sure we have lots of support available from payment plans to payment breaks through to low-income discounts and free debt support, thanks to our partnership with the Stepchange Debt charity.”
Come April, Northumbrian Water customers will see their bills climb by around £79 per year, which equates to £1.39 per day on average for water and sewerage services. Essex and Suffolk Water customers, meanwhile, will see their bills rise by approximately £32 a year.
NWG’s assets director Monisha Gower made further comments, saying that this £3.6 billion capital programme is a significant investment hike for the north-east.
She added: “With £2.4 billion of that investment aimed at protecting and enhancing the environment, along with work to ensure the resilience of our water and wastewater services, customers’ bills will be spent directly on the things that matter to them and to their communities.”
Help with bills
People concerned with how they’re going to pay their water bills when the new charges are rolled out later in the year may be eligible for support schemes such as WaterSure, which caps water and sewerage bills for anyone on income-related benefits that has a meter installed onsite.
It could also be worth investigating whether you’re eligible for your water supplier’s social tariff scheme, designed to help people on low incomes reduce their bills.
What about businesses?
If, as a business, you’re concerned about bill increases in the future, you can do a lot to build resilience into your operations by switching water supplier. This is a relatively straightforward process that involves a water audit where your water use is compared with what you’re being charged for. This will reveal any discrepancies that could have led to overcharging.
It’s possible to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in charges for your water supply and wastewater disposal after the audit has been carried out. And you may even be able to claim refunds for overcharging if this has happened in the past.
The team here at H2o Building Services will perform an in-depth analysis of your historical water bills, going back at least 12 months, giving us full visibility of your water expenditure so you can gain control over this particular business overhead.
Once billing information is received, we can typically turn our preliminary desktop report around within ten days. This will give you a better idea of where you’re able to save money on your bills.
You will also be able to identify the best water-saving solutions for your business, measures that can be updated over time as your operational needs evolve. Solutions include water leak detection and repair, water recycling, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting and so on.
If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the H2o team today to see how we can help.