NI Water to keep non domestic water and sewerage charges at rate of inflation for 2021/22.
24 March 2021 11:15
NI Water has announced that from 1st April 2021, non-domestic water and sewerage charges will rise by 0.9% in line with inflation.
NI Water Director of Finance & Regulation, Ronan Larkin, said:
“We are acutely aware this is a challenging time for everyone and we do not want any business to feel extra pressure due to their NI Water bill. The decision was taken therefore, with the support of the Utility Regulator, to hold the increase to the rate of inflation.
“This enables us to strike a balance between minimising the impact of a price increase on customers and ensuring sufficient revenues are generated for NI Water to continue to operate.
“We have, therefore, limited the increase to 0.9% in line with inflation. This means our 80,000 non-domestic customers will see their water and sewerage bill remain the same as last year in real terms.
“It is important that customers who may need extra help with their bill communicate with us as soon as possible. Our billing team will be on hand to offer guidance, including payment breaks or longer repayment plans.
“We are also enhancing our online self-service portal with a smarter navigation to help provide a better experience when paying a bill, managing account(s), or viewing water consumption details.”
Leaflets will be mailed to non-domestic customers to notify them of the forthcoming pricing changes and specifically, how they will be applied.
Customers can access further information about our charges on NI Water’s website at www.niwater.com. Anyone with questions about their bill or our charges can phone our Billing Enquiries Team on 03458 770030.
Summary of Charges For Non-Domestic Customers 2021/2022
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact NI Water Press Office press.office@niwater.com
Notes to editors
- The price limits used by NI Water to set regulated prices exclude inflation. The Utility Regulator, responsible for determining price limits, uses Retail Price Index (RPI) as its main measure of inflation.
- NI Water is required to annually review the charges levied for water and sewerage services and agree them with the Utility Regulator in order that customers pay the fairest rate for the water and sewerage services they receive.
- Measured customers are charged for water and sewerage based on a meter reading. Unmeasured customers are charged based on the Net Annual Value of their premises.
- While the value of a customer’s bill will vary depending on the amount of water used or the value(NAV), the following are typical examples of how customers may be impacted by these increases:
A shop or small office unit, connected to sewer, using 285M³ of water, will pay £400, a rise of £3.
A medium size factory, connected to sewer, using 1,300M³ of water, will pay £3,676, a rise of £29.
Farmer using 400M³ of water, with septic tank, will pay £292, a rise of £2.
Typical unmeasured customer examples
Small to medium shop or office unit, with a NAV of £8,000, connected to sewer, will pay £300, a rise of £2.
- Due to the continuing deferment of domestic charges, eligible measured water and sewerage customers will continue to avail of a domestic allowance which will reduce their water and sewerage bill. As it is not possible to offer a volumetric domestic allowance to unmeasured customers, unmeasured water and sewerage charges will continue to be billed at one half of the full charge.
- Non-domestic customers include: small, medium and large businesses, farms, industrial users, voluntary organisations and charities, public bodies, churches and non-household use properties.