News
Switch water supplier draft water bill could contribut £2bn to the UK economy
Author: Graham Mann, Water Audit Expert.
The Government water industry proposed reforms are designed to make the industry “fir for the 21st century” and to give businesses more choice as to who supplies their water and waste water services. New laws aimed at increasing drought resilience.
Competition will be opened up in the water market to all businesses to Switch Water Supplier and according to the department for environment food and rural affairs (DEFRA) the proposals set out in the water bill will benefit the UK economy by £2bn.
Owen Patterson Environment Secretary said ” Creating a modern customer focused water industry is crucial, we have listened to businesses who want more choice and our new measures will give them the freedom to Switch Water Supplier and find a more competitive deal. Evidence from Scotland where customers have been able to switch water supplier for 4 years now shows that it creates an incentive for water companies to help customers reduce their water consumption and costs which is both good for the environment and the economy.”
Senior Water Consultant Graham Mann from H²O Building Services comments ” We have seen a number of clients water bills levied by a new water suppliers in Scotland and quite frankly we have been disappointed that new entrants into the water market have been overcharging customers, one customer was overcharged £12,000 per year on a number of sites resulting in our water auditors re-claiming the overcharges which resulted in a £22,000 refund. In this particular case we requested a copy of the water supply contract to which the water supplier Aimera stated we do not have a contract! and the maximum discount this customer was given was 5%. When I questioned the water supplier further they admitted quite a number of their customers did not have a water supply contract!
We then completed a detailed water audit of all client sites in Scotland and within 2 weeks we negotiated with another water supplier and made arrangements to switch water supplier and successfully agreed a 15% discount and now provide a water bill validation and bureau service to ensure all further charges levied by the new water supplier are correct and monitor water consumption and take action if consumption increases. The other customer a fish process company spend £500,000 had a detailed water audit completed and we estimated potential savings of at least £200,000 per year!
We have indeed heard other stories of companies signing up to 5 year single digit deals, over the last 6 months we have seen many situations to the customers financial detriment and new water licences are granted and more players enter the market to grab a slice of the market, I have real concerns that customers will not get the best deal in terms of discount, service and overcharging.
Having some 30 years experience in the water industry, my advice is simple – if your company is approached regarding Switching Water Supplier seek expert advice.
Call 0845 658 0948 or email me directly graham.mann@h2obuildingservices.co.uk.