Water: Fixed, metered and allowances explained

Water bills in the UK work in one of two ways, depending on whether your property has a water meter installed.
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If your property has a water meter, your water usage can be measured precisely. You're billed for the actual water you use, plus a daily standing charge — a fixed daily fee set by the water company for having the service available.
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If your property doesn't have a water meter, your supplier bills you using unmetered charges based on your property's rateable value.
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The rateable value is a historic value assigned to your property by the Valuation Office for the purpose of calculating water charges. These values were set between 1973 and 1990 and are determined by factors such as the property's size, area, condition, and the availability of local services. This means two properties of the same size on the same street may have different rateable values.
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In some cases where a meter cannot be installed, your supplier may use an Assessed Volume Charge as an alternative estimate of your usage.

Here at Bunch, we provide the same, simple service for everyone — a fixed term contract with a fixed monthly price, that comes with a generous usage allowance. This service is all about peace of mind — no need to worry about overusage and surprise charges (fair usage limits apply — see our T&Cs).
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If you have a water meter at your property, we will check the meter reading at the end of your contract to ensure that you did not exceed the fair usage limit.