We developed two new tariffs to support customers whose water bills will increase when they move to metered charges.

About half of our customers will experience a reduction in their water bills as they move from charges based on the rateable value of their homes and about half will see an increase.

We worked with customers to develop the Changeover Tariff and Support Tariff, which we then agreed with Ofwat.

Customers can move to the Changeover Tariff, in which higher charges are introduced gradually, to give them time to understand more about their water use and how they can save water and energy, taking control of their bills.

We introduced the Support Tariff for customers who genuinely cannot afford to pay a higher bill. After a free water and energy audit, customers receive an independent financial assessment and help to claim any benefits to which they are entitled. The bills of those recommended for the Support Tariff are capped at the equivalent of the customer’s rateable value bill.

We redesigned our bills for metered customers to make them easier to understand and provide clearer information about how much water is used by a household and how to make savings.