With less than three months to go, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is urging pub operators to make the most of the new competitive market for water when competition is introduced for businesses.
From April, businesses, charities and public sector organisations in England will be able to switch their supplier of water and sewerage retail services. This will affect some 1.2 million customers, including Britain’s 50,000 pubs.
The BBPA is promoting the changes with the help of the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), the independent consumer body for the water industry in England and Wales, and further guidance will be available in due course. By switching, or negotiating with the existing supplier of retail services, customers could get a better price or a more tailored service.
Currently, only very heavy water users (more than five million litres per year) can switch supplier of water retail services. However, from April, this usage threshold will drop to zero in England, effectively opening up competition to all business customers.
BBPA chief executive, Brigid Simmonds,said: “This is a big change for our water supplies that should bring more competition and choice into the market, and pubs need to be aware of the potential for savings.
“Operators can look to reduce bills, by negotiating new tariffs and by consolidating billing across multiple sites. We may also see other innovations, through new services such as water efficiency and leakage checks and leakage control, that could generate lower bills.”
More information is available via the Consumer Council for Water website at www.ccwater.org.uk/business-
• Picture: Paul Hudson, licensed via Flickr Creative Commons
