Business Water Suppliers

Business water suppliers – FAQs

Here are the top questions asked surrounding commercial water suppliers.

Which commercial water suppliers in Scotland can I choose from?

There are 17 business water suppliers in Scotland to choose from; see our list above.

The Scottish commercial water market was the first to deregulate in the UK, so the savings available from switching water suppliers away from the default tariff provider are significant.

Are there any industry-specific ratings or reviews of business water suppliers?

The market operator MOSL publishes an annual trading party performance report; however, this focuses on more operational aspects of execution rather than customer-specific performance.

For this, we highly recommend undertaking your own due diligence. When reviewing water suppliers, it’s best to understand your needs and wants for a new commercial water supplier.

For example, are you just looking for a cheap supply? Or are you looking for improved customer service?

Once you understand what you want, it’s time to review the current and previous customers’ insights. We recommend that you go to each of the suppliers’ Trustpilot to get an accurate overview of the supplier.

You can view a list of trusted business water suppliers on our breakdown or verify them directly with Ofwat.

How do I know which business water supplier is right for me?

It entirely depends on what you are looking for from your next business water supplier. Is it price? Is it customer service? Is it multi-property billing services?

There are plenty of reasons why you wish to switch business water suppliers but to find the right option for your business, you must understand what you are looking for from a supplier.

Here are the most common reasons to switch business water suppliers:

• Price – A business wants to pay the cheapest prices possible for its water supply. The best way to manage this is to use a business water comparison tool and compare the latest prices.
• Customer service – you should identify possible suppliers and review what their current and past customers say about them. The best option is to check out their Trustpilot or Google Reviews page.
• Services – A business looking for more than just a business water supply may look for a supplier that offers additional services like water audits, leak detection, smart water meters and more.

It’s best to review each business water supplier and their additional services. You can grab that information in our ultimate guide to business water suppliers above.

Can I change business water supplier?

Yes, you can change business water supplier. Since deregulation, businesses in England and Scotland have been able to change their business water supplier. Deregulation happened:

• in England on 1 April 2017; and
• in Scotland on 1 April 2008.

Deregulation split the water industry into water wholesalers and commercial water suppliers.

Water wholesalers are responsible for supplying clean water to all properties in your local area. When there is a problem with your water supply, water meter, or a leak in the pipe to your property, your wholesaler will fix the problem.

Since wholesalers are responsible for the water infrastructure in a particular region, it is impossible to switch wholesalers.

Business water suppliers purchase water directly from the wholesaler in bulk and then sell it to individual commercial users anywhere in the country.

For more information on changing commercial water suppliers, check out our complete guide on how to switch business water suppliers.

Do businesses pay for water in Scotland?

Yes. Scottish companies pay their chosen business water supplier for the following:

• Volumetric water and wastewater charges per cubic meter of water used.
• Potable water standing charges at a fixed annual fee.
• Surface and road drainage charges are based on rateable value.

To learn more, check our handy business water rates calculator.

Is my water supplier a business water supplier?

This can often be a point of confusion. On deregulation in 2017, some traditional water suppliers split into two similarly branded suppliers – a business water supplier and a household water supplier and wholesaler business.

A good example of this is in the Surrey region. The regional wholesaler, SES Water, supplies households, while SES Business Water supplies commercial properties.

SES Water is the company that owns and operates the local water network. SES Water is also the supplier to all homes in the region, providing invoicing and customer services.

SES Business Water is a licenced business water supplier that purchases water wholesale from SES water (and other regional wholesalers) and provides retail services to companies and other non-households.

Here’s our handy list to determine if your water supply is a business water supplier.

What do business water suppliers do?

The jargon in the water industry makes it challenging to understand what water suppliers actually do. Business water suppliers, retailers, and providers all mean the same thing.

The primary responsibilities of business water suppliers are:

• Providing accurate billing for water, wastewater and drainage services used.
• Provide a customer services function to resolve customer queries.
• Conduct twice annual physical meter readings to measure water consumed.

Business water suppliers are not responsible for maintaining and operating the water network. The British water network is operated by regional wholesalers who fix any issues that might arise with your supply.

If there is an interruption to your water supply, your commercial water supplier will contact your wholesaler to resolve the problem.

Check out our complete guide to British water infrastructure for more information on the role of wholesalers.

Who is my business water supplier?

The easiest way to find your current business water supplier is to look at a recent business water bill. Your supplier is the company charging for your water and wastewater services.

If your business has never received an invoice for your water supply or you’ve recently moved into a property, we offer a free service to determine who your water supplier is. Our in-house water experts can quickly check your property address details, and we’ll let you know your current business water supplier.

Which commercial water suppliers offers a sustainable tariff?

In 2022, business water suppliers started to introduce sustainable tariffs that offset the carbon footprint caused by the treatment and transportation of mains water.

Business water suppliers are pursuing the following green initiatives:

Everflow Water – Everflow has announced that they are the first 100% carbon-neutral water supplier. Everflow purchases carbon credits to offset the carbon footprint associated with the mains water supply.

Water Plus – Water Plus is a winner of the Green Apple Environmental Awards 2021. Water Plus won this award through their actions:

• Supporting the Woodland Trust’s tree-planting campaigns.
• Supporting Forest Carbon’s work to restore peatland

See what green water tariffs are available to your business using the AquaSwitch business water comparison tool.

Which business water suppliers accept sole traders?

Most business water suppliers accept sole traders. To onboard with a new business water supplier as a sole trader, you will need to provide the following additional information:

• Sole trader name
• Last three years’ business address
• Date of birth

The new supplier will process a personal credit check as part of their onboarding procedures as a sole trader.

Business water supplier jargon buster

Consolidated billing – Receiving a single bill from your business water supplier covering multiple business properties.

CMA – “Central Market Agency” – An organisation that administers the market for water and wastewater retail services in Scotland.

MOSL – “Market Operator Services Limited” – An organisation that administers the market for water and wastewater retail services in England.

SPID – “Supply Point ID” – A unique identifier associated with each water supply and wastewater removal location to non-household businesses across Britain.

Water network connection – Arranging for a new property to be connected to the water and wastewater networks.

Water supply – Transportation of potable water to a property.

Wastewater supply – Transportation of sewage away from the property for treatment.

Wholesalers – Regional utility companies that manage the water network and who are responsible for maintaining the water and wastewater supplies.

Our data sources

All data in this guide has been collated from public sources during 2023 and 2024. In the list of English business water suppliers, we have linked to the website of each supplier.

Additionally, we have used the following sources:

• Ofwat’s state of the market report.
• Ofwat water licensees list.
• MOSL 2022/23 Annual Market Performance Report.
• CMA Scotland market information.

The Authors of this page

This page was written and reviewed by our business water experts Tom Melhuish and Ben Brading.

For more on our editorial process.