Most facilities management teams don’t spend a lot of time worrying about water bills. Water supply is reliable, and prices don’t often change, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?
The water rates businesses are charged based on factors about your property, including meter size, property area and rateable value. Errors in these figures are shockingly common and can result in businesses being overcharged by tens of thousands each year.
The most common errors in the water industry
Property surface area – In the North of England and Scotland, businesses are charged surface drainage based upon the size of your property. The water company’s assessment of your property’s area will have been made many years ago and can be inaccurate. Surface drainage charges can be tens of thousands each year, so errors can be costly for large properties.
Water meter installation problems – The installation of new water meters by your local water company is often done badly. Leaking pipes caused by the installation and meters not measuring correctly are common. Businesses are not liable for water leaks caused by meter installations but are often charged for this.
Return to sewerage assessment – Water companies commonly assume that all mains water used by your property also goes into the sewers, and they charge for this sewerage. There are simple reasons why this is inaccurate; for instance, if water is used in a production process, it does not return to the sewer.
How do I know if I’m being charged for water rates correctly?
A water audit helps recalculate and verify the accuracy of all elements of your business water bills providing facilities management teams with the comfort of knowing water bills are fair.
The AquaSwitch water audit will identify any historical overcharging and can recover these overcharges for the last six years. We’ve helped businesses recover hundreds of thousands from their water suppliers Start a water audit today.
