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Business Water for Warehouses
Compare licensed water retailers for warehouses, where the roof usually costs more than the taps.
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Home / Who we help / Warehouses
Last updated August 2026
Who we help
Business Water for Warehouses
A warehouse barely uses water. A few taps, some welfare facilities, perhaps a wash bay. What it does have is roof area, and surface water drainage is charged on exactly that. On most warehouse bills the drainage lines are several times the metered water, which makes them the place to look first.
You can switch retailer. Warehouses in England have had that right since 2017, and Scottish sites since 2008. This page covers how warehouse water is charged, why drainage dominates the bill, and where overpayment usually hides.
| Wholesale supply | Comes from regional water companies (Thames Water, Severn Trent, Yorkshire Water, and others). |
|---|---|
| Contracting | Single units can contract directly with retailers, and operators can contract centrally across every shed. |
| Biggest savings levers | Surface water drainage banding, highway drainage checks and vacancy reporting. |
| Surface water drainage | Charged for rainwater draining from the roof and yard into the public sewer, usually banded by site area or rateable value. |
| Market opened | England in 2017 and Scotland in 2008. |
| Licensed retailers | Around 20 are licensed by Ofwat to supply non-household water. |
Where the money goes
Why warehouses pay more for water than they should
Warehouse water bills are drainage bills. Metered use is tiny, so the surface water and highways drainage charges set by the size of the roof and yard decide the total. Getting the banding right, or proving rainwater never reaches the public sewer, moves the bill more than anything done at the taps.
Drainage charges are set from records rather than meters, and records go stale. Site areas get measured once, rateable values change, extensions and resurfacing alter what actually drains, and none of it feeds through to the bill unless someone tells the wholesaler.
The result is that two identical sheds can pay very different drainage charges depending on when and how each was assessed. Where rainwater runs to a soakaway, an attenuation pond or a watercourse rather than the public sewer, the charge should not apply at all.
Where it shows up
The five areas warehouses overpay
Where warehouses overpay and why it matters.
Surface water drainage banding
The band follows recorded site area or rateable value. Extensions, demolitions and revaluations all change the correct band, and the record only updates when challenged.
Rainwater that never reaches the sewer
Soakaways, attenuation ponds and discharge to watercourses all remove the basis for the charge. Sites with sustainable drainage are frequently still billed as if everything ran to the public sewer.
Highway drainage duplication
Highways drainage appears alongside surface water on many bills. Where the site has no connection or the areas overlap, the combination is worth an audit.
Deemed tariffs on low use
Low-consumption sites stay on deemed tariffs for years because the bill looks too small to bother with. The fixed charges on those tariffs are exactly where the excess sits.
Vacant and mothballed units
An empty shed still accrues standing and drainage charges. Reporting vacancy, and checking what a landlord recharges during voids, keeps empty space from billing like a working site.
Results
Case studies
Recovered on historic surface water drainage charges that should never have applied.
Worth knowing
Eligibility and how the market works
Warehouses count as non-household supply, so they are eligible to switch retailer through the open market run by Open Water. England opened in April 2017 and Scotland has been open since 2008.
Drainage charges are set by the regional wholesaler using its published charging scheme, and each wholesaler bands surface water differently. That is why the same operator can see different drainage treatment on sites in different regions, and why a portfolio review checks each region separately.
The market
Switch water supplier for your warehouse
Yes. England’s non-household water market opened to competition in April 2017 and Scotland’s opened in 2008, so every unit can choose a different water retailer. Wholesale supply still comes from your regional water company; only the retailer (the company that bills you and reads your meter) changes.
The 12 retailers below are all licensed by Ofwat to supply non-household water. Pricing, service and sector experience vary from retailer to retailer.
Choose your route
Routes to procurement
Three ways warehouse operators typically bring a new water contract in. Each comes with its own trade-off between control, effort and how sharp the price lands.
Direct with a retailer
The operator signs straight with a licensed retailer. Best for a single unit that wants a sharper rate. You handle the comparison and the switch yourself.
Portfolio-wide contract
Operators with several units can put every site on one central contract with one retailer. One renewal date and one point of contact across the estate.
Broker-led market test
A water broker compares the market for you, handles the paperwork and manages the switch from start to finish. Nothing changes on site.
Why choose The Business Water Shop
- Award-winning independent brokerage, not owned by or tied to any water retailer.
- Rated 5 stars on Google and 5 stars on Trustpilot by UK businesses.
- Experts with experience in business water for warehouses, logistics and industrial units.
- We compare quotes from up to 14 licensed retailers.
- We handle the whole switch, from the comparison and paperwork to the supplier contact.
- One point of contact for multi-property portfolios.
Questions
Warehouse water FAQs
How do I get a quote?
Send a recent water bill for the unit. The SPID, annual volume and current retailer are all on it. We come back within two working days with an alternative quote and a flag if anything looks worth checking on drainage banding or highway charges.
We hardly use any water. Why is the bill still high?
Because most of it is not for water. Surface water and highways drainage are charged on the roof and yard regardless of what comes through the meter, and fixed charges scale with meter size rather than use.
Our rainwater goes to a soakaway. Should we be paying surface water drainage?
If no rainwater from the site reaches the public sewer, the surface water charge generally should not apply. It takes evidence of where the water goes, and a claim to the wholesaler through your retailer.
Who fixes a burst pipe or supply problem?
The regional wholesaler still owns and maintains the network up to your boundary, whichever retailer you choose. Anything on the private side of the meter remains the occupier responsibility.
Will switching disrupt anything on site?
No. A switch is paperwork rather than plumbing. There is no interruption to supply, no engineer visit and nothing changes in the operation.
We run several units. Can they go on one contract?
Yes. Retailers operate nationally, so a group can consolidate sites in different wholesaler regions onto a single retailer, one contract and one point of contact.
Does an empty warehouse still get billed?
Standing and drainage charges continue on a vacant unit. Reporting the vacancy to the retailer keeps the account at the minimum, and a meter read at each change of occupier keeps liability clean.
