How to setup your water bill

How to setup your water bill in your new home

Setting up water

As we know, when we move into a new home we need to setup water & sewerage. Water & sewerage suppliers can differ by postcode and it's important we get you setup and inform your previous providers. We'll show you how to tackle everything in minutes.

Setting up water in your new home

When it comes to all of the utilities, water is one of the easiest to setup and fix. There are 11 different companies that supply water in the UK and you can’t choose yours. The price is fixed unless you have a a water meter in which case the amount you pay each month will vary based on your usage.

Is there an easy way to get this sorted? 🧐

When it comes to finding your new supplier and getting you setup, we can help. We have a free-to-use home setup service which enables you to setup your water, broadband, council, electricity, tv licence and much more. You can even update your address across all of your accounts

You enter a postcode and we can tell you who your water & council are automatically.

If you’re not moving just yet and would like to know how to get everything setup, we’re here to help.

Let’s jump in.

How to find your water supplier

The first thing to check off our list is to identify who is responsible for the water & sewerage supply at your address.

Because of the way boundaries are drawn your supplier can differ even by postcode. You can find who your water suppliers and local authorities for free here. You can also see you water supplier at Water.org.

You may have a different water & sewerage provider (it’s usual to have the same one). In the event you have a different water & sewerage provider 95% of the time you will be billed for both by the water company. If this isn’t the case, your water company will let you know.

Setup your water supply

For your new home

When it comes to setting-up your water supply it’s not something you have to do before you move in.

Because it’s a utility (like electricity) you will be able to use it the moment you walk into your new home. However, more proactive you are the smoother your home move will be. If you want to get ahead of the curve, it’s best to get things started two weeks before you move in. You will still need to contact the water supplier to confirm your move in date.

If you’re using our home setup service, we will let your new water supplier know that you’ve moving home. If you’re doing this yourself, and you’ve found out who the supplier are you’ll need to call the water supplier up and let them know you’re move in.

On the day of your move you should find your stop-cock tap and water meter. This should also be done for your electricity meter; if you haven’t done that yet check our the guide on setting up electricity for your new home.

As we know, the stop-cock tap will allow you to turn off water to the entire property (should you need to). Then, find your water meter.

Your water meter will either be metered or standard. On the day of your move in you should check your water meter and take a reading (if applicable). Share this meter reading with your water supplier so you don’t pay for any water you haven’t used.

What information do I need to setup my water?

To setup your water supply you will need the following information:

Your Name
Postcode & address
Contact information
The date of your move in
Meter readings (if applicable)
Your Bank details (set up DD)

Telling your previous water supplier you've moved home

If you were responsible for your previous properties water & sewerage you will also need to let them know what you’ve moved. You can let them know automatically with our service, or you can let them know yourself via phone, email or letter.

There are other activities you will need to do when looking at setting up the utilities in your new home. If you haven’t completed your electricity, TV licence, broadband and others you can get started here.

What water meter do you have?

There are two types of water meter you may be on. You could be either on a standard tariff or a metered tariff. It’s important that you understand the difference between the two.

You can usually change, should you wish to have the other but some water suppliers put restrictions on the amount of times you can switch. And they do this because of the costs associated with changing meters.

What is a standard metered tariff?

A standard water meter tariff is where you get unlimited water for a fixed price every month. Below is the average amount we pay for our water (and utilities) across the UK.

The advantage of a fixed standard water tariff is that you know where you stand and you don’t need to worry about your water usage. If you have ametered tarriff and want to switch to a standard one, your water supplier should enable you to do this – but i’s usually only once before you will start incurring charges to do so.

What is a metered tariff?

As the name suggests, the biggest difference between standard and metered is that metered records how much you use and charges you for it.

Most of us who are responsible for a water supply will usually try and calculate whether or not it is cost effective to have a metered supply or not.

It’s usually around 3 occupants of typical usage where it balances out. If you have fewer occupants or have less usage you may find it cost-effective to switch to a standard tariff. See, it’s easy once you know how to setup your water bill 😊

How to reduce the cost of you water bills

There are two ways to reduce the cost of your water bills. You can either switch to a water meter (if you think you’ll use less) or you can use less water.

Now we have covered how to setup your water bill when moving house, here are 5 tips to save on your water bill:

1) Upgrade to a dual flush toilet 🚽 and you can save 50% of water per flush

2) Upgrade to a high efficiency shower head and you can save as much as 40% on your usage shower 🚿

3) Buy an automatic washing machine 🧽 and you can save 60% on your energy

4) A high efficiency dish washer will use 25% of the water it takes to hand wash items in the sink – and that is a great excuse to be lazy 🦥

5) Fit flow-controlled taps and you can save around 90% of your typical water usage. These taps control the amount that comes out, meaning you don’t get that ‘blast’ that sometimes happens.

You may also be interested in

How to stop overlapping utility bills (read)

Moving home checklist (read)

Moving home utilities checklist (read)

Frequently Asked Questions

What utilities do I need to set up for a new house?

When moving home you will need to setup your gas, electricity, water & sewerage, council tax and TV licence (if applicable). You can call them all individually or set all of these up online with SlothMove. It takes around 5 minutes to do and doesn’t cost to use

How do I pay my water bill in a new house UK?

You need to contact your new water supplier and setup your account (you can do that through SlothMove easily).

Enter your postcode in SlothMove’s home setup service
SlothMove will then show you who your new water supplier and local authorities are and help get you setup at the click of a button
Your new water company will be in touch to set you up on a payment plan (usually by DD)

This is the easiest way to do it, but you can also do this manually by finding out your new supplier and calling them.

When should you cancel water when moving?

The best time to cancel your previous water supply is two weeks before you leave. You can let your water & sewerage company know you’re moving home by using SlothMove’s home setup service.

Your previous water & sewerage provider will issue you a final bill (or refund). If you have a water meter you will also need to provide closing meter reads on the day at which you move out.

Do I need to read my water meter when I move house?

Yes, you must read your water meter when you move home. You will only need to do this if you have a water meter.

The best time to do this is on the day of your move, though you should be in contact with your water supplier a couple of weeks before moving out. You an do this with SlothMove’s home moving platform online