Water Bill Calculator 2026-27
This water bill calculator estimates your water and sewerage bill by company and household size, and compares metered against unmetered to see whether a meter would save you money. The average bill for 2026-27 is about £639 a year (£53/mo) — but it ranges from £535 to £759 depending on your supplier. Use the water bill calculator below, then compare every company in the table underneath.
Average water bill by company, 2026-27
You can’t switch water company — it’s set by where you live — but here’s how the average combined bill compares across England and Wales this year.
| Company | Average / yr | Per month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Water | £759 | £63 | +£55 |
| South West Water | £740 | £62 | +£39 |
| Wessex Water | £695 | £58 | +£17 |
| Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) | £683 | £57 | +£31 |
| Anglian Water | £674 | £56 | +£44 |
| United Utilities | £660 | £55 | +£57 |
| Thames Water | £658 | £55 | +£3 |
| Yorkshire Water | £636 | £53 | +£34 |
| Hafren Dyfrdwy | £635 | £53 | +£54 |
| Severn Trent Water | £587 | £49 | +£52 |
| Northumbrian Water | £535 | £45 | +£31 |
Metered vs unmetered
Unmetered bills are based on your property’s 1990 rateable value and don’t change with how much water you use. Metered bills charge for every cubic metre. The simple test: if you have more bedrooms than people, a meter usually wins.
Most companies fit a meter free and let you revert within ~24 months if you’re worse off, so it’s low-risk to try.
Cut your water bill
- ✓Order free water-saving gadgets (shower timers, cistern bags) from your company.
- ✓A four-minute shower uses far less than a bath — the biggest single lever.
- ✓Fix a dripping loo or tap — it can waste hundreds of litres a day.
- ✓On benefits with a big family or medical need? Check the WaterSure cap.
- ✓Can't have a meter? Ask for assessed charges instead of rateable value.
Scotland
Scottish Water charges are collected with your council tax and set by band, not by a separate water company. Use your council tax band to find the water and waste charge.
Northern Ireland
Domestic water is not separately charged in Northern Ireland — it's funded through the regional rate, so there's no household water bill.
What's a m³?
Water is billed in cubic metres. 1 m³ = 1,000 litres ≈ 13 baths. A typical UK household uses around 108 m³ a year.
Help if you’re struggling with your water bill
Water is the one bill you can’t switch supplier to escape, but there is real help — and unlike energy, much of it is means-tested support that stays in place year after year.
- ✓Social tariffs. Every water company runs a reduced-rate social tariff for low-income customers — discounts of 15%–90% depending on the scheme. Ask your company directly.
- ✓WaterSure. Caps metered bills for customers on qualifying benefits who either have a large family or a medical need that means high water use.
- ✓WaterDirect. If you're on certain benefits and in arrears, payments can be taken directly from your benefits to clear the debt and keep you on supply.
- ✓Payment breaks & matching. Many companies offer payment holidays, and some 'match' what you pay off arrears pound for pound. It's worth a call before you fall behind.
How much are UK water bills in 2026-27?
The average household water bill in England & Wales for 2026-27 is £639 a year — about £53 a month — after a rise of £33 (5.4%) on the previous year, according to Water UK. That national average hides a wide regional spread: this water bill calculator uses each company’s published 2026-27 tariff, so your own figure depends on where you live and how you are charged.
Combined water and wastewater bills range from £535 a year with Northumbrian Water up to £759 with Southern Water — a gap of £224 for essentially the same service. The difference reflects local geography, the cost of treating and moving water, and the scale of investment each company must make in pipes and treatment works, as set by the economic regulator Ofwat.
Unlike energy, you cannot switch water supplier: water companies are regional monopolies, so the only levers on your water bill are how you are charged, the schemes you qualify for, and how much water you use. Water is only one of five household bills — to see it alongside gas, electricity, council tax and broadband, use the household bills calculator.
There are two ways to be billed. Metered customers pay for the volume of water they actually use — roughly £1.85 per cubic metre for water supply plus £1.45 per cubic metre for sewerage — on top of a small standing charge (typically £40-80 a year). Unmetered customers pay a fixed annual charge based on the old rateable value of the property, no matter how much water they use.
A typical household uses about 108 cubic metres (m³) a year, equal to roughly 141 litres per person per day, or about 295 litres for the whole household. Around 62% of UK households now have a water meter, with the industry targeting 80% by 2030.
Water bills by company and region 2026-27
The table below shows the average combined water and wastewater bill for every major company in England & Wales in 2026-27, with the monthly equivalent. These are the water rates 2026 households will actually pay, so you can benchmark your own bill against your regional supplier before using the water bill calculator above.
Water often sits alongside your other fixed costs, so it is worth checking it next to your council tax calculator and your electricity bill calculator figures when you budget for the year.
| Water company / region | Annual bill | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Water | £759 | £63 |
| South West Water | £740 | £62 |
| Wessex Water | £695 | £58 |
| Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) | £683 | £57 |
| Anglian Water | £674 | £56 |
| United Utilities | £660 | £55 |
| Thames Water | £658 | £55 |
| Yorkshire Water | £636 | £53 |
| Hafren Dyfrdwy | £635 | £53 |
| Severn Trent Water | £587 | £49 |
| Northumbrian Water | £535 | £45 |
| England & Wales average | £639 | £53 |
Scottish Water charges 2026-27, by Council Tax band
Scotland is served solely by Scottish Water, a public body, and unmetered charges are set by your Council Tax band rather than by rateable value. The table shows the 2026-27 water supply, wastewater collection and combined annual charges for each band, from Band A to Band H, effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
| Band | Water supply | Wastewater | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | £234.24 | £200.64 | £434.88 |
| Band B | £273.12 | £234.24 | £507.36 |
| Band C | £312.00 | £267.84 | £579.84 |
| Band D | £351.12 | £301.20 | £652.32 |
| Band E | £429.12 | £368.16 | £797.28 |
| Band F | £507.36 | £434.88 | £942.24 |
| Band G | £585.36 | £501.84 | £1087.20 |
| Band H | £702.00 | £602.64 | £1304.64 |
Source: Scottish Water 2026-27 unmetered charges, effective 1 April 2026
Metered vs unmetered: which saves you money?
The single biggest decision on your water bill is whether to be metered or unmetered. Because a metered bill is driven by the volume of water you use, a meter tends to save money whenever the number of people in the home is low relative to the size (and old rateable value) of the property. As a rough rule of thumb, if you have more bedrooms than people, a meter is usually worth investigating.
Smaller households — one or two people — with typical or low water usage almost always pay less on a meter, because they are no longer subsidising a fixed charge set for a larger household. Larger families and heavy water users, by contrast, often pay less staying unmetered, since the fixed charge can work out cheaper than paying by the cubic metre. The meter comparison tool on this page estimates both options for your household so you can see which is cheaper before you commit.
How to switch to a water meter
Switching to a meter is free for domestic properties in England & Wales — your water company installs it at no cost, usually within three to six months. Crucially, you can try a meter for 12 months and switch back to unmetered charging if it turns out to cost you more, so there is little risk in testing it. To apply, contact your water company directly and request a meter installation. In water-stressed areas (such as the Thames, Southern, South East, Anglian and Essex & Suffolk regions) meters may be installed compulsorily on change of occupancy. Where a physical meter cannot be fitted, you can ask for an assessed charge, which estimates your bill from the number of bedrooms instead.
WaterSure and social tariffs for low-income households
WaterSure caps a metered bill for households with high essential water use. You qualify if you receive a qualifying benefit and either have three or more children under 19 at home (and receive Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit), or someone in the household has a medical condition that needs extra water — such as dialysis, a colostomy, or a serious skin condition. There is no income limit for the family route. Your bill is capped at the average unmetered charge for your area, which can save £200-400 a year for a high-use family.
If you are on a low income but do not qualify for WaterSure, every water company also runs a social tariff offering discounts for low-income customers — the exact rules and discount vary by company, so it is always worth asking.
Importantly, water companies cannot disconnect your supply for non-payment, because water is an essential service. If you are struggling, contact your company early to agree a payment plan, ask about charitable trust funds, and get free debt advice from StepChange or Citizens Advice.
If a dispute is not resolved, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) provides free, independent help. If you share a home, you can also split the running costs fairly with the split household bills calculator.
What sewerage and wastewater charges cover
A typical bill is made up of more than just clean water. It usually includes water supply (clean water into your home), sewerage services (removing and treating wastewater), surface water drainage (rainwater running off your roof and property into the public sewer), and sometimes highway drainage. Combined companies provide all of these, whereas a water-only company supplies clean water and you receive a separate sewerage bill from another provider. On a metered bill the wastewater element is charged per cubic metre alongside the water supply rate.
Surface-water drainage rebates
If rainwater from your property does not drain into the public sewer — for example, it soaks away into a soakaway, a water butt, or a private drain — you should not be paying the surface-water drainage element of your bill. You can apply to your water company for a surface-water drainage rebate, which typically removes £50-150 a year from the bill. It is one of the most commonly missed savings, especially for homes with large gardens or off-mains drainage.
Beyond charging changes, simple efficiency measures can cut a metered water bill by 20-30%. The highest-impact actions are fixing dripping taps and running toilets, taking shorter showers (two minutes less saves around £95 a year), only running dishwashers and washing machines on full loads, fitting a water-efficient showerhead, and collecting rainwater in a garden water butt. Most water companies also give away free water-saving devices on request.
Because hot water also drives your energy costs, cutting water use lowers two bills at once — check the knock-on saving with the gas and electric bill calculator.
- Switch to a meter if you have more bedrooms than occupants — free, with a 12-month trial.
- Apply for WaterSure if you have 3+ children under 19 or a qualifying medical condition.
- Ask about your company’s social tariff if you are on a low income.
- Claim a surface-water drainage rebate if rainwater does not reach the public sewer.
- Request a meter test and free water-saving devices from your supplier.
Water bill calculator: frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about UK water bills, metered and unmetered charging, and how to pay less on your water rates 2026.