Water bill checker tool

This free tool will provide you with a simple breakdown and explanation of your water bill. It makes sure that you are being billed correctly and will help identify opportunities for you to save money on your water bills, or become more water efficient.

Do you have your bill available?

Get your bill and come back

You can obtain your water bill by registering with NI Water online billing at https://digitalservices.niwater.com.

Once you have your water bill you can proceed.

What does the reference start with?

Where can I find the reference?

Your reference is on your bill

This is a Trade Effluent bill

This is a Trade Effluent bill that is linked to your measured bill.

You can request a Water Bill Efficiency Check by by emailing info@consumercouncil.org.uk.

What is the mm size of your meter?

Where can I find the size?

This is recorded top right hand corner of bill page 2.
Do you have sewerage charges as well as water charges?

How can I tell if I pay sewerage charges?

Your bill will have a section indicating if you are paying sewerage charges.
What are sewerage charges?

You are charged sewerage if you are connected to the public sewers. If you have a septic tank then you are not connected to the public sewers and only pay for water. This can include properties in rural settings, farm fields with troughs, sports pitches and graveyards with no attached buildings just an outside tap.

Are you receiving a non-return to sewer allowance on page 2 of your water bill?

How can I tell if I am receiving a non-return to sewer allowance?

Your bill will outline if you are getting this allowance. This will be a negative number
What does a non-return to sewerage allowance mean?

Measured customers who are billed sewerage charges receive a standard 5% non-return to sewer allowance. This is based on the assumption that 95% of the water used at your property returns to the public sewer system. You should contact NI Water to query why you are not receiving this.

If more than 15% of the water you use does not return to the sewer then you can apply to NI Water to increase your non-return to sewer allowance. Circumstances when this may apply, can include irrigation or production of goods containing water.

Do you have VAT charges of more than 0% on your bill

How can I tell if I am paying VAT?

Your bill will outline any VAT charges you may have.
Who should usually pay VAT?

Unless you are using water in a manufacturing process you should not be paying VAT. You can have this removed at source by contacting NI Water.

Are you receiving a domestic water allowance on page 2 of your water bill?

Where will the Domestic Water Allowance be noted?

The Domestic Water Allowance will be on Page 2 of your bill. This will be a negative number.
Who would usually get the Domestic Water Allowance?

All non-domestic properties that pay rates are entitled to a domestic allowance. It is allocated by NI Executive due to the fact that we don’t pay for domestic water so there is an allowance that covers staff use of water for domestic things (toilet, washing dishes, etc).

Do you pay rates to Land and Property Services for this property?

Where can I find the number of days?

This is recorded on page 2 of your bill.

‘If there are 2 lines of water standing charge please add the days together for an overall total.

Does your bill include an estimate for usage?

How will I know if I am paying based on an estimate?

The estimate for use can only be found where instead of saying Company Reading it will say Company Estimate.

What reading should I enter?

You should enter the latest Company Reading. This is recorded top right hand corner of bill page 2.

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Standing Charge

Your standing charge is similar to a telephone line rental, it is charged as a fixed fee whether you use water or not. Your standing charge for a 20mm supply pipe is £204 a year for both water and sewerage services. This is the cheapest tariff available.

You are also charged for the amount of water that you use and the amount of sewerage that you put down the drains. This is calculated through your water meter.

  • Water is charged at £1.450 for 1m3
  • Sewerage is charged at £2.514 for 1m3.

1m3 is equal to 1000 litres. These rates are the same no matter what size your supply pipe is.

Your standing charge is similar to a telephone line rental, it is charged as a fixed fee whether you use water or not. Your standing charge for a 20mm supply pipe is £90 a year. This is the cheapest tariff available.

You are also charged for the amount of water that you use. This is calculated through your water meter.

Water is charged at £1.450 for 1m3. 1m3 is equal to 1000 litres.

These rates are the same no matter what size your supply pipe is.

VAT Charges

You are being charged VAT on your water bill, unless you are using water in a manufacturing process you should not be paying VAT. You can have this removed at source by contacting NI Water. 

You are not paying VAT on your water bill and this is correct.

Domestic Water Allowance

You receive this domestic allowance because you pay rates on your property. Volumetric charges will not be applied in each half yearly billing period until consumption exceeds 100M3 for water or 95M3 for sewerage. 

This can result in a maximum per annum bill reduction of £272.40 for water and £444.98 for sewerage for each domestic allowance you receive. 

If you have more than one rated property connected to your water supply, then you may be entitled to more than one domestic allowance. 

You may be entitled to a domestic allowance that can reduce your annual water bill by up to £717.38. 

You can also claim back up to six years retrospectively. You should contact NI Water to apply.

As you do not pay rates on this property you are not entitled to a domestic allowance.

Non-return to sewer allowance

All customers receive a 5% non-return to sewer allowance. 

If more than 15% of the water you use does not return to the sewer then you can apply to NI Water to increase your non-return to sewer allowance. 

Circumstances when this may apply, can include:

  • irrigation, or 
  • production of goods containing water.

Measured customers who are billed sewerage charges receive a standard 5% non-return to sewer allowance. 

This is based on the assumption that 95% of the water used at your property returns to the public sewer system. 

You should contact NI Water to query why you are not receiving this. 

Your usage

Estimated feedback

If either of the Company Reading wording is changed to Company Estimate then this means the meter has not been read and the bill is not accurate. This will impact the ADC calculation.

If the second line is an estimate then you should read your meter to make sure it is similar to the NIW estimate. If it is much higher then you may have a leak and this would need investigated.

Customers receiving an estimated bill may read their meters, where it is practical to do so, and let NI Water know the actual consumption within 7 days, by telephoning their Billing line on 0345 877 0030. 

This meter reading will also be used to calculate the charges for the disposal and treatment of your waste water. A new bill will be issued to you based on the reading you provide them.

Water Efficiency Advice

Monitoring your Water Use

As a measured customer you will receive two bills a year. NI Water should read your meter every six months purely for billing purposes. Any water use recorded through the meter is your responsibility and you are required to pay for it. If you had a spike in your water use due to an unidentified leak then this would result in a significantly higher bill than normal. You can reduce this risk by reading your meter on a regular basis. The Consumer Council would recommend that this is done once a week but even once a month is still an improvement and will identify any increases in consumption.  

Water Efficiency 

The main step to becoming water efficient is to monitor the water that you use, especially the water that you don’t need to use.

A meter reading at night and in the morning when you open will indicate if any water is being wasted when you are closed. When doing this read you should include the red and black digits on the meter. If there is significant water use, then this needs investigated.

The most common problems will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Daily meter reads over a period of one week should show peaks and troughs of consumption based on how many people have used your premises every day.

Some additional reading.
https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/i…
 

Unmeasured charges

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

Your bill is calculated using the rateable value (NAV) of your property.

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. In some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill.

Our tool can help you work out if this is the best option for you.

Is your property rated?
Are you charged VAT?

How can I tell if I pay VAT?

Your bill should have a section to tell you how much VAT you're paying.
Are you billed for water and sewerage?

How can I tell if I pay for water and sewerage?

Your bill should have a section to tell you if you're paying for both water and sewerage

Unmeasured Charges

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. 

In some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill. 

The lowest available measured water bill is £204.

In this instance you are paying a similar cost as you would with a metered bill and I would recommend that you continue with an unmeasured bill as it takes away any risks of high billing due to leaking appliances or worse.

Allowances

All the allowances that you are entitled to are built into an unmeasured bill.

There are no other allowances available to you.

Monitoring your Water Use

As your property is not billed based on water use there is no need for you to monitor your water use for billing purposes. 

Water Efficiency 

Although you will not make a financial saving by reducing your water use there is an environmental reason for being water efficient. In this regard we would recommend checking for wasteful water practices and correcting these.

The most common waste will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Some additional reading regarding water efficiency;

https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/invest-ni/documents/water-efficiency-guide-a-practical-guide.pdf

Unmeasured Charges

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. 

In some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill. 

The lowest available measured water bill is £204.

In this instance you are probably paying more than you would with a metered bill and it would be helpful for you to understand why you are being charged in this way and whether you have an opportunity to reduce your bill. 

Some methods include:

  • moving to a metered supply or 

  • entering into a common share agreement with other premises that share your water supply. 

You can ask NI Water why you are paying for your water by this method and the other options available, including costs.

Allowances

All the allowances that you are entitled to are built into an unmeasured bill.

There are no other allowances available to you.

Monitoring your Water Use

As your property is not billed based on water use there is no need for you to monitor your water use for billing purposes. 

Water Efficiency 

Although you will not make a financial saving by reducing your water use there is an environmental reason for being water efficient. In this regard we would recommend checking for wasteful water practices and correcting these.

The most common waste will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Some additional reading regarding water efficiency;

https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/invest-ni/documents/water-efficiency-guide-a-practical-guide.pdf

Unmeasured Charges

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. 

In some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill. The lowest available measured water bill is £90.

In this instance you are paying a similar cost as you would with a metered bill and I would recommend that you continue with an unmeasured bill as it takes away any risks of high billing due to leaking appliances or worse.

Allowances

All the allowances that you are entitled to are built into an unmeasured bill.

There are no other allowances available to you.

Monitoring your Water Use

As your property is not billed based on water use there is no need for you to monitor your water use for billing purposes. 

Water Efficiency 

Although you will not make a financial saving by reducing your water use there is an environmental reason for being water efficient. In this regard we would recommend checking for wasteful water practices and correcting these.

The most common waste will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Some additional reading regarding water efficiency;

https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/invest-ni/documents/water-efficiency-guide-a-practical-guide.pdf

Unmeasured Charges

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. 

n some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill. 

The lowest available measured water bill is £90.

In this instance you are probably paying more than you would with a metered bill and it would be helpful for you to understand why you are being charged in this way and whether you have an opportunity to reduce your bill. 

Some methods include:

  • moving to a metered supply, or

  • entering into a common share agreement with other premises that share your water supply. 

You can ask NI Water why you are paying for your water by this method and the other options available, including costs.

Allowances

All the allowances that you are entitled to are built into an unmeasured bill.

There are no other allowances available to you.

Monitoring your Water Use

As your property is not billed based on water use there is no need for you to monitor your water use for billing purposes. 

Water Efficiency 

Although you will not make a financial saving by reducing your water use there is an environmental reason for being water efficient. In this regard we would recommend checking for wasteful water practices and correcting these.

The most common waste will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Some additional reading regarding water efficiency;

https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/invest-ni/documents/water-efficiency-guide-a-practical-guide.pdf

Unmeasured customer

You are being billed as an unmeasured customer and you receive one bill a year at the start of April.

Unmeasured Charges

An unmeasured bill means that you do not have a water meter, this means you are not billed on the amount of water you use. 

In some circumstances this can be advantageous and in others it can be more expensive than having a metered bill. 

The lowest available measured water bill is £204.

Where an unrated property is using water for non-domestic purposes and metering is not possible, NIW will apply a standard unrated property charge. This charge will comprise of two elements: a standing charge and a set volumetric charge.

Standard Unrated Charges

Water

Sewerage

Standing Charge (£)

79.76

    111.04

Set Volumetric Charge (£)

175.90

    287.34

Allowances

All the allowances that you are entitled to are built into an unmeasured bill.

There are no other allowances available to you.

Monitoring your Water Use

As your property is not billed based on water use there is no need for you to monitor your water use for billing purposes. 

Water Efficiency 

Although you will not make a financial saving by reducing your water use there is an environmental reason for being water efficient. In this regard we would recommend checking for wasteful water practices and correcting these.

The most common waste will be a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern, where water constantly runs into the toilet bowl. If you have staff, then educating them to identify and report water waste and be water efficient is good practice.

Some additional reading regarding water efficiency;

https://www.investni.com/sites/default/files/documents/static/library/invest-ni/documents/water-efficiency-guide-a-practical-guide.pdf

VAT Charges

You are being charged VAT on your water bill, unless you are using water in a manufacturing process you should not be paying VAT. 

You can have this removed at source by contacting NI Water. 

VAT Charges

You are not paying VAT on your water bill and this is correct.

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