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water suppliers
Compare business water suppliers now!
Compare NowWe compare up to 14 licensed retailers across England and Scotland, consolidate multi-site billing onto one contract, and audit billing for recoverable overcharges going back 6 years. We’re not tied to one retailer.
- Up to 14 licensed retailers compared
- Save up to 55%
- Switch for better customer service
- UK-wide trusted supplier network
Compare business water suppliers now!
Compare NowHow to compare business water suppliers
We know that comparing business water suppliers can be complex and time-consuming, especially if you don’t know where to start. That’s why we’re focused on making the entire process simple and stress-free here at The Business Water Shop.
All you need to do is enter a few quick details, and then our team will take care of everything on your behalf, from finding out your current situation and goals for the future, to communication with your water suppliers, and scheduling a convenient switch date.
How the UK business water market works
The UK’s non-domestic water market splits into two systems. England opened to competition on 1 April 2017. Scotland deregulated nine years earlier, in 2008. In both markets the wholesaler still owns the pipes and delivers the water to your premises. Your regional water company keeps doing that job in England. Scottish Water keeps doing it in Scotland.
What changed is who issues your bill. A licensed retailer now handles billing, customer service and contracts, and a business can choose which retailer it wants. There are up to 14 retailers active in Scotland and over 20 in England. Most businesses are still with the retailer they were defaulted to when the market opened. Default tariffs are rarely the cheapest, and the customer service is rarely the best.
Real results from real businesses
We’ve recovered seven figures in overcharges and consolidated hundreds of multi-site contracts for UK businesses. A few recent examples:
Fill out a formWe only need a couple of key details to get started
Compare water pricesWe find the best deal for you using our network of trusted suppliers
Secure the best dealMake the switch or renew to enjoy the best deal for your business. It’s that straightforward!
Why switch your business water supplier?
You can enjoy a variety of great benefits from switching your business water supplier. As well as highly competitive water and wastewater rates, you can also enjoy improved customer service, and often additional features like bespoke invoicing. That puts the power back in your hands, enabling you to choose how you pay for your water invoices and also how often you pay, depending on the size of your water supply.
What we audit on every business water bill
A bill audit is the most direct way to find money owed back to your business. We review up to six years of past billing for three recurring issues.
Incorrect surface water drainage. Historically around 1 in 6 commercial water bills carry an incorrect drainage charge. Sites with soakaways, private drainage or rainwater harvesting often should not be paying surface water charges at all. The fix is a drainage survey or a sketch of your site’s runoff, sent to the retailer with a refund claim attached.
Wrong return-to-sewer percentage. The retailer default is 95%, meaning nearly all the water you take in is assumed to leave as wastewater. For manufacturers, breweries, food production and farms that lose water to product, irrigation or evaporation, the correct figure can be far lower. Adjusting this percentage permanently reduces the wastewater portion of every future bill.
Estimated meter reads that ran for years. If your meter was not read by the retailer for 18 months, the estimate has almost certainly drifted. We benchmark estimates against actual reads and flag any large mismatches for review.
What to check before you switch
Switching business water supplier is straightforward, but a few things are worth checking before you sign. Skipping these is the most common reason switches get held up at the wholesaler gateway.
Your contract end date. If you’re inside a fixed-term contract with your current retailer, you usually need to give notice in writing before the contract end date. The notice window is typically 30 or 60 days. Missing it can roll you into another fixed term.
Your SPID number. The Supply Point Identification number is a unique reference for each water supply point on your premises. It’s on your most recent bill. If you have multiple meters across several sites, you’ll have one SPID for each.
Your annual consumption. Quotes are priced against actual usage. If your bill is built on estimated reads, the quote may be too high or too low. Take a fresh meter reading on the day you request quotes, and the new retailer can calibrate against it.
Whether you’ve ever audited your bill. Many businesses have been overcharged for years without knowing. A bill audit can be run in parallel with a switch. If you’ve been on the same retailer since 2017 (England) or 2008 (Scotland), the chance of a recoverable overcharge is high.
Competitive pricesMove your business onto more competitive business rates
Customer ServiceBenefit from improved customer service with a new supplier
Accurate InvoicingChoose how you pay and how often you want to be invoiced
Compare business water suppliers now!
Compare NowOur trusted supplier network
We work with a wide network of business water suppliers across the UK here at The Business Water Shop, giving us a great range of options to find a deal that’s perfectly suited to you. What’s more, we do all the hard work for you – from collecting business water quotes to comparing the key details, saving you time and hassle and leaving you free to enjoy all the rewards of switching.
An independent water broker for UK businesses
We compare business water suppliers, switch contracts, consolidate multi-site billing, and run audits to recover historic overcharges. We don’t supply water ourselves. We sit between you and the retailers and only suggest moves you’d actually want to make.
Sectors we work with most
Some sectors overpay for water more reliably than others. We work with school estates and academy trusts where surface water drainage is the biggest single overcharge, and with hospitality groups, FM operators and multi-site landlords where billing is fragmented across providers.
Areas we cover
We compare business water across England and Scotland, the two markets where the choice of retailer has been deregulated. Most of our customer accounts cluster in the major commercial centres, but geography isn’t a constraint. We work with businesses across the whole UK.
Join Hundreds of Happy Customers!
Matt Falcus"Really great service, helping me find the best option for business water at my property. Process is really easy"
What our customers say about us
“Really great service, helping me find the best option for business water at my property. Process is really easy. ”
M. Falcus“I have used them twice now and will definitely come back again. Very highly recommended!!”
D. Westfallen“Really prompt and efficient service. Probably took me no more than 5-10 mins in total to switch to a cheaper supplier”
P. Davies“Fast, efficient service. Found the best price and easy to switch! ”
L. Hall“Very helpful and efficient would definitely recommend”
J. Walker“Excellent service, to the point and took care of everything quickly at ease.”
CK Property“The transfer was quick, easy and painless. Recommended. ”
J. Arthur
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FAQ's - Compare Business Water Suppliers
- What is a SPID number?
A SPID number is your Supply Point Identification Number. These are numbers that correspond to different supply points in the market to help identify your business water supply.
In other words, SPID essentially serves as a unique identifier, so you’ll need to have it to hand when you’re comparing business water prices, or if you choose to switch business water suppliers.
- Where can I find my SPID number?
You can find your SPID number on a copy of a recent water invoice.
If you are unable to find your SPID number, or if you’ve just moved into a new site and you don’t know your SPID number, then we can help – just give us a call on 020 8051 7675 and one of our team will be happy to assist.
- How do you work out my annual consumption?
Your annual consumption is generally calculated using meter readings, either from actual historical data or estimates based on your previous bills.
If you think the consumption isn’t accurate when we send you your quote, feel free to send over a recent meter reading, and we can adjust this for you.
- If I’ve been overcharged for water, can I claim the money back?
If you think you have been overcharged for water in the past, our team at The Business Water Shop can help – we can undertake a water audit for your business to see if we can make a claim for you. This allows us to go back 6 years to check if you have been overcharged.
If you’d like to understand more about what’s involved, or get started on a water audit, don’t hesitate to contact us, or take a look at our dedicated business water audit page right here on our website.
- Do I need to contact my previous supplier if I choose to switch business water suppliers?
No. If you choose us here at The Business Water Shop to handle the switch, you can count on us to take care of the entire process for you! That includes setting up the contract with your new supplier on your behalf, and if necessary, letting your current business water supplier know that you’ll be leaving them.
This way, we can ensure a seamless switch between providers, and you can have peace of mind that there will be no disruption to your business water supply.
- What happens if I have paid my current bill in advance?
If you have paid for your bill in advance with your current supplier then you will get your money back for the water that you have not used.
When your supply switches over, your previous supplier will credit the money back to you (if they owe you anything) after your switch date. Each supplier will use the same opening read and closing read so you are not overcharged during this period.
- Can I switch business water supplier in the UK?
Yes, in England (since 2017) and Scotland (since 2008). Any non-domestic premises can choose its retailer. Domestic accounts cannot switch.
- Will switching disrupt my water supply?
No. The wholesaler still owns the pipes and delivers the water. Only the billing entity changes.
- How much does it cost to use a water broker?
Switching is handled at no direct cost to the business. We’re remunerated by the incoming retailer or on a success-share basis for audit recoveries.
- What's the difference between a water wholesaler and a retailer?
The wholesaler is the regional water company (Thames Water, Severn Trent, Scottish Water, etc.) that owns the pipes and treats the water. The retailer is the licensed company that bills you for it and handles customer service. Since deregulation, you can choose your retailer but not your wholesaler.
- Can I switch if I rent my premises?
Yes, if your business is the named account holder on the water bill. Tenants who pay water charges through service charges to the landlord usually cannot switch directly; the landlord can.
