How it matters
How it works
Every month, the amount you pay will depend on how much fresh water you’re using:
Based on the average two-person household using 130 litres per person per day .
What does this mean?
A typical bathtub in a UK home holds about 80 litres. So 5,000 litres is around 62 baths a month. (We’re bound to say it, but showers are great, getting through around 6 litres a minute.)
Saving water made easy
Whether it’s shorter showers, bigger laundry loads or fixing those pesky leaks, saving water doesn’t need to be a chore (plus of course you can now avoid higher bills). So why not get into the water-saving habit now with our easy tips?
Help with your bills
Being a smarter water user can help, but we know sometimes whatever you do, bills can be a concern.
We don’t want anyone to worry about their water bill, so we’ve got a range of further support schemes – whether you’re a Water Smart customer or not – that could help you.
Got questions?
It’s a new way of making your essential water use more affordable. You’ll pay less for your basic water use.
Across the UK, Ofwat is encouraging water companies to try different ways to help people use water more carefully, while making their bills more affordable.
It’s a trial at the moment, and we’re rolling it out to customers to see how it works. Anyone signed up to the trial will need to be a Severn Trent customer with a smart meter who registers for an online account.
This gives you up to 60,000 litres of water a year at a reduced rate. It should cover the basics, like drinking, cooking, and washing. We work it out every month so 5,000 litres a month and then it’ll start again in month 2.
You’ll pay the Standard use for any amount over 60,000, up to 120,000 litres.
If you use more than 120,000 litres, you’ll pay the 'additional use' rate on this usage only.
It’s easy – just log into view your water usage graph to keep an eye on everything, and don’t forget our water-saving tips to help cut down on your use.
It’s designed to encourage households to use what they need and avoid using too much. It helps make sure that essential water remains affordable for everyone.
Yes, of course. You can switch back to the standard tariff if you find that Water Smart doesn't meet your needs. Contact customer service for help with this.
The new tariff prices will include the sewerage charge, but exclude the standing charge, surface water drainage charge and highway drainage charge (which total between £8 - £13 per month, depending on the type of property you live in).
Right now, this is just a trial for a limited number of customers because we’re trying to see how well it works. If it goes well then we may offer the tariff to more smart meter customers in future.
It depends on how much water you use, but most customers are likely to save money.
To help you compare, the table below shows the difference between two households monthly water bills (based on average water usage):
- A Water Smart tariff bill
- A regular metered bill
This should give you a clearer idea of what might work best for you.
1) Water Smart tariff monthly bill (based on average water usage) |
2) Regular metered monthly bill (based on average water usage) |
||||||
Water Smart tariff |
Units |
Rate |
£ |
Regular metered |
Units |
Rate |
£ |
Fresh Water |
|
|
|
Fresh Water |
|
|
|
Standing Charge £ |
30.0 |
0.1105 |
£3.31 |
Standing Charge £ |
30.0 |
0.1420 |
£4.26 |
Basic £/m3 |
5.0 |
1.0201 |
£5.10 |
|
|
|
|
Standard £/m3 |
2.6 |
2.5503 |
£6.55 |
Standard £/m3 |
7.6 |
2.5503 |
£19.32 |
Additional £/m3 |
|
6.3758 |
£0.00 |
|
|
|
|
Used Water |
|
|
|
Used Water |
|
|
|
Standing Charge £ |
30.0 |
0.1073 |
£3.22 |
Standing Charge £ |
30.0 |
0.11 |
£3.22 |
Basic £/m3 |
5.0 |
0.4877 |
£2.44 |
|
|
|
|
Standard £/m3 |
2.2 |
1.6255 |
£3.57 |
Standard £/m3 |
7.2 |
1.6255 |
£11.70 |
Additional £/m3 |
|
4.0639 |
£0.00 |
|
|
|
|
Property type: Semi-detached £ |
30.0 |
0.1341 |
£4.02 |
Property type: Semi-detached £ |
30.0 |
0.1341 |
£4.02 |
Highway Drainage £ |
30.0 |
0.0539 |
£1.62 |
Highway Drainage £ |
30.0 |
0.0539 |
£1.62 |
Total Monthly Bill |
|
|
£29.84 |
Total Monthly Bill |
|
|
£44.13 |
Give us your feedback
If you’re on the Water Smart tariff and would like to share how you’re getting on, please email up us at CustomerResearch@severntrent.co.uk.