Building water help and advice

Last reviewed: 29/07/2016 09:02 AM

All water used for building work needs to be paid for. We believe the best way to do this is to use a water meter, which means you only pay for the water you actually use. It’s important for you tell us before your work begins, so we can make sure you’re metered correctly. If you’ve already begun, payment will need to be based on the contract value.

Important information:

It’s important that you contact us before you start using water on your building work. If you don’t, we’ll base your charges on 0.17 per cent of the contract value.
We’re unable to accept 'B class' meters and their readings because they don't record the full flow rate of water used.
It’s illegal to use a neighbouring water supply for building work.

Payment methods:

There is no water supply

You’ll need to apply for a new water connection to feed your site. We’ll fit a meter to the new pipe as standard, to measure how much water is used. Water main and service connections

There’s an existing metered supply

If it's a household supply, you just need to call us on 0800 980 8800 to either set up an account for the use of the water or update your existing account. You’ll need the site address and your meter serial number.

If it's a non-household supply, please contact your retailer.

There’s an existing unmetered supply

To get you started, we just need to fit a meter to your supply, then inform the Market Operator. You'll need to appoint a retailer before we install the meter. More information can be found in our News and Improvements section.

It’s important that we do this before you start any work on site. Please click the button below to tell us your details in a short online form. We’ll get back to you about the next steps.

If the building work has already begun

If you’ve already started building work or altering existing properties, this means we’ve had no opportunity to fit an approved meter for you, or to take a reading from an existing meter. Without a meter reading at the start, we’ve no way of knowing how much water you’ve used and we’ll have to base the water charges on the contract value of the build.

If the contract value is below £100,000 then the property will remain on the current rate of water charges that you already pay. You don’t need to do anything differently.
If the contract value is over £100,000 then the charge is 0.17 per cent of the contract value, plus VAT.
This basis of charging has been authorised by Ofwat and can be found here.

Sometimes we need to ask for evidence to show the contract value, but for now, we just need the details requested on this short online form.

There’s an existing metered supply

You just need to call our billing team on 0800 980 8800 to either set up an account for the use of the water or update your existing account. You’ll need the site address and your meter serial number.

There’s an existing unmetered supply

To get you started, we just need to fit a meter to your supply. It’s important that we do this before you start any work on site. Please use the link below to tell us your details in a short online form. We’ll get back to you about the next steps.

If the building work has already begun

If the contract value is below £100,000 then the property will remain on the current rate of water charges that you already pay. You don’t need to do anything differently.
If the contract value is over £100,000 then the charge is 0.17 per cent of the contract value, plus VAT.
This basis of charging has been authorised by Ofwat and can be found here: Charges Schedule 2016-17.

Sometimes we need to ask for evidence to show the contract value, but for now, we just need the details requested on this short online form:

Apply to use an existing water supply

Already applied?

If you’re looking for an update on your application, or want to make a payment, please contact us.