Business water deregulation: you can switch retailer

Since April 2017, businesses, charities and public-sector organisations in England have been able to choose their water retailer — the company that bills you and handles your account — even though the water itself still comes through the same pipes. Scotland deregulated earlier, in 2008.

Switching retailer won't change your water quality or supply. What changes is the retail margin, service, billing and water-efficiency support. For multi-site businesses, consolidating every site onto one retailer with a single bill is often the biggest win.

What to compare:

• The volumetric rate (£ per m³) for water and wastewater.
• Any standing charge.
• Billing quality and account tools — a common source of complaints.

AllSwitched compares business water retailers on the total of these against your estimated annual m³ usage.