Non-return to sewer allowance

If more than 5% of the water you use does not return to the sewer, you may be eligible for a non-return to sewer allowance.

Your automatic allowance

The way we charge recognises that up to 5% of the water you use may not return to the sewer.

This is why we automatically apply a 5% allowance to your bill, which accounts for:

• evaporation
• car washing
• drinking
• cooking
• all garden-related use (including the normal use of hosepipes, sprinklers, paddling pools and hot tub top-ups)
• wet and dry years.

Who is eligible for an additional allowance

For us to consider an additional allowance, you must:

• have a metered water supply
• prove that significantly more than 5% of your water usage consistently does not return to the sewer
• have a meter reading history at the claim address for at least 12 months.

Validating your claim

We may arrange to visit the property at any time to validate your claim.

It is your responsibility to prove that significantly less than 95% of the water we supply is returned to the public sewer.

If your claim is found to be inaccurate, we will reclaim charges from the date of your original application.

Please note that all claims are subject to regular review.

Unsuccessful claims

A hot tub is normally drained via a hosepipe into a nearby drain and then into the public sewer. Under these circumstances, your claim will be rejected.

We will assume that a permanent swimming pool or garden fish tank will either have a permanent connection to a drain or will be temporarily connected to a drain while it is being emptied. This means a claim to fill or refill a pool or pond will normally be rejected.

The non-return to sewer allowance does not include claims for soakaways. These claims can be made by applying for a rainwater drainage allowance.

If you use water from water butts or rainwater collection systems, you will not be eligible. This is because this water use is not recorded through your meter.

More information