04 February 22
Affinity Water invests for the future and continues to provide support for customers most in need
Affinity Water is to invest £180 million over the next 12 months to keep customers’ taps flowing with safe, reliable high-quality drinking water at the same time as protecting the environment.
To help fund this investment, it has also confirmed the average household water bill for 2022/23 will change slightly to £179 a year. That will change the average daily cost to 49 pence for the supply of high-quality drinking water. Changes will take effect from 1 April 2022 and will vary by region and on whether a customer has a water meter installed or not.
Affinity Water supports over 90,000 customers in vulnerable circumstances to manage their bill through its Low-Income Fixed Tariff (LIFT) and WaterSure schemes.
Affinity Water’s Director of Customer Experience and Technology, Joe Brownless said:
“We know even a small price increase is never welcome, especially with wider pressures on living costs. Customers will see a small change in average household water bills which will be cheaper in real terms than they were in 2017/18.
“We understand it can be stressful if you are struggling to pay your water bill. If that’s the case, we’d urge those customers to get in touch with us as soon as possible, so we can offer support. We have a wide range of financial help available.
“We are committed to providing excellent service to our customers and are increasing our investment programme on our pipes, pumping stations, treatment works and new infrastructure to keep customers taps flowing with a reliable and high-quality supply of water as well as protecting the environment.”
More information on the support available can be found on our website at - www.affinitywater.co.uk/struggling-to-pay
Charges
Charges for water supply are fixed in advance for five-year periods (2020-2025) and are monitored and governed by the independent water regulator Ofwat. The annual charges for 2022/23 will take effect from 1 April 2022.
Affinity Water is a water supply company and does not provide waste water services for which charges are announced separately.
Support for low income households
Affinity Water is supporting customers with problems paying water bills. The LIFT tariff provides a reduced fixed rate bill and may be applied for if a household’s annual income is less than £16,385 (£19,747 if you live in London) or if they are in receipt of housing benefit or income support such as Jobseeker’s Allowance. The WaterSure Scheme provides financial help for vulnerable metered customers. Details on both schemes can be found on the company website - www.affinitywater.co.uk/struggling-to-pay