Saving water and money
Water companies have funding to support you if you cannot afford your bills. They also have free products and tips to help you save water.
You may not be able to switch water suppliers like you can with your gas and electricity, but you still may be able to switch your tariff.
Most water companies have social tariffs available to customers:
- with an annual income of less than £16,385
- or who receive certain benefits
Call your water supplier or visit their website to check if you are eligible for their social tariff. This could see your annual bill capped at a much lower amount.
Skip to
- WaterSure scheme
- Affinity Water
- Albion Water
- Anglian Water
- Bournemouth Water
- Bristol Water
- Cambridge Water
- Cholderton and District Water
- Dee Valley / Hafren Dyfrdwy
- Essex and Suffolk Water
- Independent Water Networks
- Northumbrian Water
- Severn Trent Water
- South East Water
- South West Water
- Southern Water
- Sutton and East Surrey Water
- Thames Water
- United Utilities Water
- Welsh Water
- Wessex Water
- Yorkshire Water
WaterSure scheme
All water suppliers offer the WaterSure scheme. You can apply for assistance if you have a water meter and someone in your household receives 1 of the following benefits:
- Housing Benefit
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit (except families who receive family element only)
- Pension Credit
They must also claim Child Benefit for 3 children under 19 or have a medical condition that means they use a lot of extra water, such as:
- desquamation (flaky skin disease)
- weeping skin disease (eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration)
- incontinence
- abdominal stoma
- Crohn’s disease
- ulcerative colitis
- renal failure requiring home dialysis (except when the health authority contributes to the cost of the dialysis)
To apply for the WaterSure scheme, ask your water supplier for an application form.
Affinity Water
Contact numbers:
0345 357 2402 (non-metered account)
0345 357 2401 (metered accounts)
Affinity water supplies:
- Northwest London
- Home Counties
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- Surrey
- London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon
- London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing and parts of Enfield
- Tendring peninsula in Essex
- Folkestone and Dover areas of Kent
Low Income Fixed Social Tariff (Affinity Water)
Albion Water
Supplies:
- Knowle
- Rissington
- Oaklands Hamlet
- Castle Hill
Contact number: 0330 024 2020
Albion Water have a Special Assistance Fund (SAF) if you are unable to pay your bill for financial or personal reasons.
Bournemouth Water
Supplies:
- Bournemouth
- New Forest
- Poole
- Salisbury
Contact number: 0120 259 0059
Bristol Water
Supplies:
- Thornbury
- Weston-Super-Mare
- Street
- Glastonbury
- Frome
Contact number: 0345 702 3797
Cambridge Water
Supplies:
- Cambridge to Ramsey (North)
- Gamlingay (West)
- Balsham (East)
- Melbourne (South)
Contact number: 0122 370 6050
Cholderton and District Water
Supplies:
- Shipton Belinger
- Thruxton
- Amport
- Quarley
Contact numbers
0198 062 9203 (office hours)
0743 744 5863 (out of office hours)
Water charges and procedures (Cholderton and District Water)
Dee Valley / Hafren Dyfrdwy
Contact number: 0330 678 0679
Supplies:
- Wrexham
- Parts of North Wales
- Parts of Chester
- Parts of North West England
Essex and Suffolk Water
Supplies
- Parts of Norfolk and Suffolk
- Parts of Essex
- Parts of Greater London
Contact number: 0345 782 0111
Independent Water Networks
Independent Water Networks (IWN) provides water and sewerage services to both residential and business customers on new-build housing developments across the UK.
Contact number: 0292 002 8711
Northumbrian Water
Supplies:
- Northumberland
- Durham
- Tyne and Wear
- Parts of North Yorkshire
- Essex and Suffolk
Useful tips to save (Northumbrian Water)
Contact number: 0345 733 5566
Severn Trent Water
Supplies:
- Newcastle Under Lyme
- Stoke
- North East Derbyshire
- Bolsover
- North and South Kesteven
- Nottingham
- Wolverhampton
- Worcester
- Cotswolds
- Cherwell
- Gloucester
Contact number: 0345 602 2777
South East Water
Supplies:
- Kent
- Surrey
- Hampshire
- Sussex
- Berkshire
Help paying your bill (South East Water)
Tips on how to save water (South East Water)
Contact number: 0800 952 4000
Southern Water
Supplies:
- Isle of Wight
- Hampshire
- West Sussex
- Hastings
- Parts of Kent
Contact number: 0800 027 0363
Sutton and East Surrey Water
Supplies:
- East Surrey
- West Sussex
- West Kent
- South London
Contact number: 0173 777 2000
Thames Water
Supplies:
- Greater London
- Luton
- Thames Valley
- Surrey
- Gloucestershire
- North Wiltshire
- Far West Kent
Contact number: 0800 980 8800
United Utilities Water
Supplies:
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
- Cheshire
- Parts of Derbyshire
Contact number: 0800 072 6765
Wessex Water
Supplies:
- Bristol
- Dorset
- Somerset
- Wiltshire
- Parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire
Contact number: 0345 600 3600
Yorkshire Water
Supplies:
- West Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Parts of North Lincolnshire
- Most of North Yorkshire
- Parts of Derbyshire
Help paying your bill (Yorkshire Water)
Tips on how to save money (Yorkshire Water)
Contact number: 0345 1299 299
Last reviewed by Scope on: 11/12/2023
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