Changes to our charges

To help us deliver the required improvements in our services, our charges increased on 1 April. These increases mean that for households with combined water and sewerage services provided by Wessex Water:

• a typical metered bill (based on a usage of 100m³ per year) is 21% higher this year, compared to 2024-25
• a typical unmetered bill (based on the average property rateable value) is 24% higher this year, compared to 2024-25.

These percentage increases are for a typical household that stays on the same tariff and (for metered customers) uses the same volume of water. The actual change to your bill may differ from these amounts – please see further information below.

You can also view our full charges for more information on how the individual parts of your bill (including standing charges) have changed.

Our charges will be changing from 1 April this year.

Charges for sewerage services are increasing. This is mainly due to a step up in investment to deliver infrastructure improvements. Our regulator, Ofwat, has approved this investment.

This is on top of an increase due to general price rises. This will help us continue delivering high-quality services in light of increasing cost pressures.

However, our standard water supply charges are falling slightly.

We expect that the average bill for combined water and sewerage services will increase by 4% in 2026, based on these changes to charges.

Please note this is an average figure. Actual changes will vary depending on:

• the type of services you receive
• whether you are metered or unmetered
• your water usage (if metered).

Our full charges for 2026-27 will be published by February 2026.

We are currently unable to say exactly how much bills will change in future years, as they will be affected by things such as inflation and how we perform over the next year.

We have also asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to review Ofwat’s decision on our 2025-2030 business plan. The CMA published its provisional findings in October 2025 - however we are still awaiting the CMA’s final conclusions.

The outcome of the CMA’s review will therefore affect bills from 2027 onwards. 

For metered customers, changes in bills can be affected by:

• how much water you use - households that use more water will see larger increases. Furthermore, if your usage has increased since your last bill, this will also affect how much your bill has increased by

• the time of year you receive your bill - this affects how long the new charges have been applied. Usage also tends to be higher in the summer months. You can check your bill to confirm the period it covers

• any outstanding balance that may be owed - this would be added to your new bill (based on the charges applicable at the time of usage).

For unmetered customers, the change in bills depends on the rateable value of your property.

Households with higher rateable values will generally see slightly larger increases.

If your water or sewerage services are provided by another company, your overall bill increase is likely to be different.

This is because each company’s charges have changed by different amounts, reflecting each company’s specific requirements as well as Ofwat’s decision on their business plan.

Bristol Water customers can visit their website for a summary of relevant water charges.

If you used more water in the previous billing period before your meter was read, your Direct Debit might not cover the new amount.

We may need to increase your Direct Debit to cover the balance that is owed after reading your meter. An increase in water usage could also impact your future payments.

If you have a meter, you can reduce your usage and save money by following our water saving advice.