How to switch business water supplier?

Switching business water supplier is a quick and simple process. Firstly, you will receive a quote, you will then receive your contract and LOA which is a letter of authority that you will need to sign and a direct debit mandate. Our experts will be able to make the switching process easy and will handle the switch for you. You will then receive a notification to show when your business water supplier changes.

Most water costs in your business come from underlying wholesale charges. These charges from your local wholesaler are carried over by your business water provider. All wholesale costs are unchanged unless you change water supply. If a company is re-using their water service, the bill will continue to be calculated using volumetric charges. Standing charges – Fixes incurred annually no matter the water usage.

Yes, adding multiple sites to your contract will massively help improve water efficiency, reduce costs, and make managing the bills easier. Check out our multi-site energy guide for more information. Having multiple contracts for different premises can be difficult and time consuming to manage. As a business owner, you do not want to be wasting time trying to manage multiple different water contracts, therefore it is useful to have one water supplier for multiple premises.

A business can switch their water supplier when in their renewal period. When this happens one of our business energy comparison experts will call you and manage the entire switching process for you.

SPID stands for Service Supply Identification Number which is a 13-digit unique identifier that is included on your bill. This SPID is used as a reference address for your water services.

To switch supplier, you must have your SPID as this is how your property can be identified. On your bill, you will see two SPID identifiers, one for your water and the other referencing water and wastewater services.

Your Water SPID will look like this “0000000000W0” and your sewage SPID will look like “0000000000S0A”. These can be found on your water bills.

If your premises is considered as mixed use, you may require an assessment. Here are some quick ways to find out if your property is eligible to switch business water suppliers:

• If the property pays only business rates, you will be eligible to change supplier without assessment.
• If the property pays only council tax, you will not be eligible to change suppliers.
• If the property pays both, then you will need an assessment.

Properties that can switch water supplier

Here you can find a list of properties that are eligible to switch water supplier without any problems:

• Appointed business premises – this is any property that has an office. This also includes hotels.
• Allotments – these are not designated as live in home, so they are eligible to change supplier. These also include individual allotments and those runs by association or societies.
• Self-catering holiday units – these are not permanent residences, so they are eligible.
• Temporary supply for developers – properties that are under construction or are show homes are eligible.
• Youth Hostels – as these are providing temporary accommodation, like hotels, they are eligible to change supplier.

Properties That Cannot Switch Water Supplier

Below is a list of properties that are not eligible to switch business water suppliers. These are mainly residential premises; these include the following.

• Household premises with management companies – as these are used primarily for living accommodation.
• Local authority housing – since these are providing residential housing, they are not eligible to switch supplier.

Once you know whether your business is eligible to switch business water suppliers, you can begin comparing deals for a new water contract which our experts will be able to help you with. The switching process is like changing your business electricity and business gas prices.

We have created a simple four step guide to securing your new your water deal to make the process as simple as possible:

Step 1: Check your water consumption

Firstly, we need to know how much water you are using, and we can do this by figuring out your average water usage. You can find out your water usage by simply looking at your latest water bill and finding how much you are currently being charged for your water usage.

It is important to take note of the following figures from your business water bill:

1. Your annual water consumption
2. How much you’re currently paying on your water bill
3. Details of the charges on your water bill
4. Your Service Supply Identification Numbers (SPIDs)
5. A recent water meter reading

Step 2: Understand your current water contract

Once you have all the information listed above, you need to understand the type of tariff you are currently on as there are many different tariffs out there. This information can also be found on your business water bill.

You should be able to find all the information you require about your business water contract on your water bills. On your water bill, you will also be able to find how much you are charges per cubic metre of water and the payments regarding your water and wastewater services.

When switching water supplier, you will need to choose if you want to switch suppliers for both your clean water and wastewater contracts or just one which works similarly to a dual energy tariff.

Step 3: Select a new supplier

We may be able to find a better deal with your current supplier. If you are on a deemed contract or default tariff, your current water supplier must inform you if they are able to provide you with a better deal.

Once we have contacted your previous water supplier, we can then compare business water rates available currently within the water retail market. Your current tariff will be used as a benchmark against which you can compare other water prices on offer.

Step 4: Complete the deal

Once we have compared many businesses water deals and we have found one that suits the needs of your business, we can go ahead and agree to the contract.

Your new supplier will only need to discuss:

1. Your eligibility
2. Give you full information about the tariff and the terms and conditions
3. Answer any questions you may have

Once this process is complete, you will need to sign an LOA or letter of authority and we can secure your new water deal.

You will then have a 7-day cooling off period if you decide to change your mind and cancel the switch. You will not require to provide a reason for cancelling during these 7 days but ensure you check with your new supplier how long their cooling off period is.