MILLIONS of households can expect to see lower water bills next year.
Water companies will pay out £114million to bill payers after failing to meet key targets.
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Targets for reducing pollution, leakage and supply interruptions were all missed, and customer satisfaction continues to fall, according to Ofwat.
Not one company achieved the regulator’s top category of “leading” while Dwr Cymru, Southern, Thames, Anglian, Bristol, South East and Yorkshire Water fell into the lowest category of “lagging”.
The remaining 10 companies were rated “average”.
The 12 water companies who have been told to reduce their bills are:
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- Affinity Water
- Anglian Water
- Dwr Cymru
- Hafren Dyfrdwy
- Northumbrian Water
- SES Water
- South East Water
- South West Water (South West area)
- South West Water (Bristol area)
- Southern Water
- Thames Water
- Yorkshire Water
Therefore households covered by these companies should expect to see a reduction in their bills from next year.
Although it is not possible to say how much the reduction might be.
Ofwat is the body responsible for regulating the privatised water and sewage industry.
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It judges the performance of water companies in England and Wales each year against the targets they set in 2019 for a five-year period in 2025.
If companies fail to meet these targets, Ofwat restricts the amount of money they can take from customers.
Thames Water is the company that must return the most, more than £101million, followed by Southern Water which must pay out £43million.
The total industry amount of £114million is offset by some companies being rewarded, such as Severn Trent Water taking £88million and United Utilities taking £25million.
Some companies have shown improvements in reducing leakage and internal sewage but Ofwat says the progress has been too slow.
In the past year, fewer than half of water companies reached their target on reducing pollution or met their commitment on leakage.
There has also been an overall decline in customer satisfaction.
Many of the companies have also not fully invested their allowance for 2020-2023 into improving their services.
David Black, Ofwat chief executive officer, said: “The targets we set for companies were designed to be stretching – to drive improvements for customers and the environment.
“However, our latest report shows they are falling short, leading to £114million being returned to customers through bill reductions.
“While that may be welcome to bill payers, it is very disappointing news for all who want to see the sector do better.”
How to save money on your water bill
If you do not use a lot of water it could make sense to move to a water meter to save some cash.
Obviously, if you have a large household and use a lot of water this may not be a good idea as your bills could go up.
The Consumer Council for Water offers a free water meter calculator that will tell you if you can save by fitting a water meter.
According to Uswitch you could cut £70 from your energy bills and reduce your water bills by reducing your wash time.
And something as little as leaving the water running while you brush your teeth could add £60 a year to your bill, according to Octopus Energy.
Many water companies can offer help to struggling families through the Watersure scheme.
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In order to qualify for the scheme you need to already have a water meter installed and prove that you use a lot of water.
We have made a list of six gadgets that can slash your water bill by £100s a year and you can even get some of them for free.
