Water bill support missed by two million households

Millions of eligible householders are not receiving financial support that is available through their water company due to low awareness, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).

The water watchdog has urged low-income households are not to miss out on financial support from their water company to help absorb the impact of looming energy and water bill rises.

The research found that more than 1.3 million low-income households in England and Wales received bill reductions through their water company’s social tariff – up 19 per cent.

The CCW says nearly 2 million customers may still not be getting the help they are entitled to due to low awareness and other barriers. Social tariff schemes vary but on average they saved individual households £151 a year. More than 220,000 households also received help through WaterSure.

Andy White, Senior Leader for Social Policy at CCW, said “Rises in energy costs this winter and water bills from April will heap considerable pressure on millions of struggling households so it’s vital low-income customers act now to get all the help they’re entitled to.:

“Water companies should exhaust every opportunity to reach customers in hardship but we’d also urge anyone who is worried about their water or energy bill to take the first step and ask for help. There remains a lot of untapped support.”

CCW says svery water company in England and Wales has its own social tariff scheme designed to help customers on a low income. But who is eligible and the level of support offered varies from company to company. In some instances, bills can be reduced by as much as 90 per cent.

There was also a 9 per cent rise in households receiving reduced bills through WaterSure, which is offered by all suppliers.  The scheme caps the water and sewerage bill of customers in receipt of certain income-related benefits who have a water meter. To be eligible they must also have either a large family or member of the household with a medical condition which requires a lot of water use.

Water companies are expected to announce their new charges for 2024/25 around the start of February. The upward pressure on bills is expected to continue due largely to the impact of inflation, which companies are allowed to add to their charges each year.