Utility Week Report: What’s the state of play with water tariff innovation?

In its latest report, Utility Week Intelligence, in partnership with Gentrack, explores how innovative tariffs like seasonal pricing and rising block tariffs are being trialled, the barriers to their adoption, and the impact they could have on water use. 

Water tariffs used to be straightforward, uniform pricing across the country, cheap and plentiful supply, and little public concern. But the water landscape in 2024 is vastly different.

Bills are rising amidst a cost-of-living crisis, public scrutiny of water companies is at an all-time high, and climate change is no longer a distant threat. Exceptional droughts in recent years, combined with aging infrastructure and no major reservoirs built in decades, have underscored the urgency for change.

By 2050, the UK will need an extra five billion litres of water daily to support population growth, a challenge that demands not only behavioural shifts to reduce per capita consumption but also significant investment in new infrastructure to secure future supply.

For water companies, tariff innovation is a vital tool to drive behavioural change, while infrastructure upgrades are essential to meet long-term demand.

Discover the full report here to learn how the sector is rethinking water pricing for a sustainable future.