High consumption checklist

It’s important to note that our charges will change each year, as part of our annual price review, and this may result in an increase in your bill for the billing period starting 1 April. For more information on our charges please click here.

For help understanding the different elements of your bill click here.

If your bill covers a longer period than expected, this could be the reason that your bill is higher.

For example, if your last bill covers 90 days and your most recent bill covers 120 days, we expect your total bill value to increase by roughly a third, as the period it covers has increased by a third.

Your bill may be based on an estimated meter reading. If it is, you can take a meter reading at your site and compare it to the estimated reading on your bill. Please only take a meter reading at your site if it’s safe to do so.

If the two readings are significantly different, you can submit your actual meter reading to us online here or on My Business Stream, and we’ll process this. If something doesn’t look right, we’ll let you know and generate a new bill.

If your bill is based on an actual meter reading (not an estimate), then this will reflect the actual water consumption recorded at your site. The more actual meter readings we have, the more accurate your bills will be.

If your bill is based on an actual meter reading, please continue to follow the steps on this page to identify other possible reasons for your higher-than-expected consumption.

Here are some examples of things that could have changed at your site:

• An increase in your workforce
• An upgrade to your facilities
• A change to a physical business process that uses water
• A seasonal change, e.g. watering fields during summer or increased production
• A change in operating hours

If any of these apply to your situation, this could explain the increase in water consumption during the billing period in question.

If there have recently been changes to your premises or those around you, one possibility is that the supply pipework has not been amended accordingly. Examples include:

• A change in ownership of the neighboring premises
• Your business is in a shared building, e.g. with a flat or shop above or below you
• A change in set-up, e.g. the premises has been split into multiple units

If any of these apply to you and you think you might be using a shared supply, you can test this. Try turning off all the appliances in your premises then running a tap in your neighbour’s premises. Check if your meter records water consumption.

If it does, please call our Customer Service team on 0330 123 2000. We're open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.

It’s important to check for leaks regularly. Leaks waste money by wasting water, but they can also cause serious damage to your premises over time.

Use our step-by-step guide to identify a potential leak, it’s location and what to do next. For further information on what to do if you suspect a leak click here.