Is Now The Time To Switch Your Water Supplier?

I’m going to save us all some time here and just give you the answer now: yes. If you run a business in Scotland, then now is the time to switch your water supplier, or at least consider and look into your options. Unfortunately, this isn’t a possibility for businesses in the UK outside of Scotland. But thanks to legislation that passed in 2008, non-household consumers in Scotland became the first and currently only customers that are able to look into this option. So, if you fall into the remit of businesses, charities or not-for-profit organisations, it’s well worth looking into switching water suppliers and considering what it could mean for you. It could end up saving you money.

So why is this an option

for you and your

company? Well, since the

legislation was passed,

the water industry in

Scotland has been

transformed into a

competitive market and,

as anyone that did a

Business Studies GCSE

will be able to tell you, this

immediately translates into

a better situation for the

consumer, as water

José Manuel Suárez via Wikimedia Commons companies now have to

vie for business, lowering rates and offering a better service in order to stay

competitive and keep their customers happy.

A new focus on the customer is now being offered, with a drive to provide a tailored

service to meet you and your company’s needs that could in the end result in you

saving money. With many providers, this now means experts on hand within the

company to offer advice on your usage, how you could reduce the amount of water

you use and, ultimately, save money on your water bills. This all translates into an

improved customer service being provided for users, with people on hand when you

need them to offer help and advice.

This is partly down to a renewed effort on the part of the water companies to look

into and cut down on unnecessary water usage and wastage, which is not only

harmful for the environment and wasting a precious, finite resource that is already

seeing a strain far greater on its current reserves than is available to us, but is also

wracking up costly bills and expenses, which in turn is costing you more money. By

implementing strategies across the board to control and cut down on excessive use

and waste of water, companies will not only be helping your green credentials, but

ultimately saving you money.

Perhaps even more importantly than the

fact that by switching suppliers, you

could find a better service for more

competitive rates that could end up

saving you money, but at the moment,

there’s a good chance you’re being

overcharged with unnecessary and

incorrect fees for the water you’re using.

For many of us, our water bills equate to

a list of charges that we pay without

necessarily analysing, considering or

even fully understanding what exactly it

is we’re paying out for and whether this

is the right amount for our usage. After

all, unless we see a sudden spike in the

price of our utilities, which could alert us

to a problem, we often just accept the

fees.

Image Courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But that’s where you could be going wrong as many people are paying out costs and

fees they just don’t owe. This could be down to something as simple as your water

company miscalculating your usage, which it has been shown many companies have

been guilty of doing in the past. Simply by fixing this one issue, you’re automatically

in line for some pretty big savings.

As an example, only a few weeks ago, our water audit team at H²O Building Services

identified an incorrect charge dating back to July 2007 as part of our ongoing water

bill validation services to Wolseley UK. As soon as our water experts completed their

on-site survey, they managed to prove that the company had falsely been charged

and sent an application to Yorkshire Water, together with the supporting

documentation. It was not long before a refund cheque for £2,130 was sent to

Wolseley UK! (Visit our website to find out more about our water bill validation

services to Wolseley UK: www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk/case-

studies/wolseley-uk)

So when you consider the possibility of finding a better service for a smaller price,

using your own water more efficiently, which will cost you less and cancelling out any

unnecessary costs and fees you might currently be paying out, there’s really no good

reason not to examine your options properly.

And once you’ve made the decision that you want to look into switching water

suppliers and saving money, you can then leave the hard work to someone else to

do, simply by hiring a company to do it for you. Then, it’s down to the experts to

assess the situation and your options for you, saving you the time and hassle of

navigating a system you might not understand yourself. H2O Building Services are

just one example of a company who can do this for you.

There’s very little actual work for you to do to start the process and in return, a team

of experts can save you money. All that is required of you is that you provide the

company working on your behalf your water bills from the past twelve months for all

of your properties and sites. From there, the information is loaded into a database,

with the vital information then sent to different water providers, who can bid for your

account. The contracts are then negotiated on your behalf and sent to you for you to

choose and approve. Finally, the company will then negotiate the move for you, so

you don’t have to deal with any of the admin or the hassle of doing it all and simply

see an improved service for a lower cost. The exact savings you will make will of

course depend on your usage, but it is estimated that most people save on average

between 10-18%. All of this is then done for a small fee, which will soon be earned

back from the savings you make from your water bills.

So if you run a business, charity, or non-profit organisation in Scotland, it is well

worth looking into your options and considering switching your water supplier. For a

small amount of work on your part, that will cost you very little money, you could end

up enjoying an improved service for a discounted rate; a service that is tailored to

you and your needs that will help ensure you’re using only the water you need, for a

more efficient usage that will ultimately help you save even more money.

To find out more about how H2O Building Services can help you switch water

supplier, please visit our website: www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk/our-

services/switch-water-supplier