How water companies are closing the unclaimed support gap
25 October
Over five million eligible households are missing out on £900 million of water bill support each year.
In May 2023, OfWat, the Water Regulatory Authority for England and Wales, showed that households were already struggling to stay afloat since 2022.
– Nearly one in four water bill payers are struggling to pay their bills at the current rate, an increase of 15% on March 2022
– 7% of water bill payers reported having received financial support
– 3 in 10 customers were aware of financial support available from their water company
Water companies and local authorities each have a part to play in helping struggling customers, ahead of a 40% expected rise in the water bill from 2024.
Water companies can streamline the assessment for social tariffs to allow for automation by one click applications. At the same time, councils can begin the conversation with water and sewerage companies about social tariffs and leverage the power of administrative data for auto-enrolment of discount schemes.
Listen back to hear
- The outlook: water bills are rising and nearly £1 billion of water support is unclaimed
- Why support is unclaimed by millions of households
- How water bills vary across the country, creating regional differences
- Case study: How Northumbrian Water Ltd has improved its customer experience, identifying over £7 million in unclaimed support in just 7 months
- Software that can help
Guest speaker
Listen back to our speakers
Of the households that we track within our Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) 46% on means tested benefits are living in highly fuel inefficient homes meaning they will continue to see quite high energy bills regardless of the drop of the energy price cap. Meanwhile, £1.37 billion in support for utility bills goes unclaimed each year.
The fantastic bit is customers are getting more than just applying for their tariffs. They've been directed to the right support that's available for them as we've identified potential missing benefits. 96% of customers that applied for tariffs were eligible for benefits. That's £7.2 million which works out at nearly £1,400 on average per household.
The Better Off Calculator has an internal case management system that allows you to passport information between teams. The lettings team can complete this as part of the initial tenancy, get income maximisation to make sure they're as financially sustainable as possible. If someone does fall into arrears, the full tenant journey is visible for everyone to see.
