Millions of businesses and charities can now save money on their water bills by shopping around.
The water market has opened up and is now competitive in the same way the energy market is – but it’s only for businesses.
It means local businesses, charities and public sector organisations no longer need to get their supply from Yorkshire Water and can instead choose their water provider from any other part of the country.
The change is similar to the gas and electricity market and affects 1.2m businesses and those with single employee up to multi-nationals are eligible.
But it doesn’t affect households, who locally will remain Yorkshire Water customers.
It’s unclear if this is the first step towards making the whole water market competitive, and Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “It’s right that these organisations have the same choice for their water retailer as they currently do for energy and other services. Opening up the market is a historic milestone but it’s also just the start.”
The move may help businesses reduce their bills as they can now shop around for the cheapest deal. Anyone wanting to explore if they can get a cheaper deal elsewhere can visit http://www.open-water.org.uk .
