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Complete Guide to Water Deregulation in England
The Water deregulation industry in England has given businesses the right to choose their own water supplier to get the best deal, rather than being stuck with their local supplier.
For years, consumers have been able to choose their energy supplier, but only recently has this freedom been applied to water.
Studies by government bodies such as Ofwat and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggest that the new rules could deliver £200m worth of benefits to the country.
Who Is Eligible?
Scotland was among the first countries in the world to deregulate water, and businesses there have been able to take advantage since 2008. Businesses in Scotland are in a unique position in that they are also able to change the provider of their drainage or wastewater services as well.
England began taking the first steps toward deregulation in April of 2017, and will progressively make the option available to more businesses. To take advantage of water deregulation in England currently, your business must have at least one site based in the country which uses more than 5 million litres of water per year.
There are currently around 1.2 million businesses in England that are eligible, including businesses, charities, and public sector organisations. The requirements are expected to be reduced in the near future to allow more businesses to benefit, and eventually individual homeowners will also be included.
In Northern Ireland and Wales, there aren’t any plans for the foreseeable future to deregulate the water market in the same way as Scotland and England.
What Are the Benefits of Switching Your Water Supplier?
Water deregulation in England will have a number of benefits to end users. It breaks up the monopoly that major water suppliers have over a local area. This gives suppliers an incentive to offer a better overall service and compete to keep your custom since you now have the ability to switch to another provider if you are dissatisfied with what you are getting. Key benefits include:
More competitive prices – Deregulation allows you to shop around and find the best prices and water contract for your business. You can obtain free quotes from any water company based in England to see if switching would save money on your water bill.
Bill consolidation – Especially for larger businesses with sites operating over a wide geographic area, managing water bills from a number of different suppliers may be an administrative pain. Now it’s possible to have water for all of your sites supplied by a single company, greatly simplifying the billing process. This gives you the ability to make a single monthly payment for all of your water services.
Better customer service – Does your current water supplier put you on hold for thirty minutes each time that you phone up with a query? If you don’t feel your current provider meets your customer service expectations, or if your bills always seem to contain errors that take your employees hours to resolve with them, it might be worth switching suppliers just to remove some of the hassle.
Need Help Navigating the New Deregulation Rules?
Making sense of all the new changes that water deregulation in England has brought can be overwhelming on your own.
To see if your business is eligible to choose your own water supplier, contact H2O Building Services today. With over 30 years in the water cost reduction industry, H2O’s team of water experts know the new deregulation rules like the back of their hands. We can help identify the best water supplier for your specific business situation, as well as take a look at your current billing to determine any areas where your existing supplier might be overcharging. Call us on 01924 387 873 or email info@h2obuildingservices.co.uk .