Your business water supplier is the retailer that bills you, and the quickest way to check is to look at a recent water bill or bank statement for the company taking payment. Behind that retailer sits your regional wholesaler, which owns the pipes and cannot be changed.
This trips people up because water has two suppliers, not one. The distinction rarely matters until you want to switch, query a bill, or take over a site.
Once you know which retailer you are with, you can compare the market and decide whether to move, much as our guide to switching business water explains.
The good news is that water supply-point data is held centrally, so once you have the right reference number, confirming who supplies you is quick.
What’s the difference between your wholesaler and your retailer?
The wholesaler owns and operates the network, treats your water and removes your wastewater. The retailer buys those wholesale services and sells you billing, customer service and account management on top.
Wholesalers across england and scotland
In England your wholesaler is the regional company for your area, such as Thames Water, Severn Trent or United Utilities, regulated by Ofwat. In Scotland, Scottish Water is the sole wholesaler for every site.
You cannot choose your wholesaler; it is fixed by geography. What you can choose is the retailer sitting in front of it, which is the company you actually deal with day to day.
How do you check who supplies your water right now?
Check a recent water bill first, since the retailer’s name, your account number and your SPID all appear on it. If you cannot find a bill, a bank statement will show the company taking payment.
Where to look
| Where to look | What you’ll find |
|---|---|
| A recent water bill | Retailer name, account number and SPID |
| Bank statements or direct debits | The company name taking payment, which is your retailer |
| Property or landlord records | The account holder’s name if water is managed centrally |
| MOSL market records | The registered retailer against your SPID, if you have the SPID |
If the bill and the bank statement disagree, trust the bank statement for who is actually being paid, then call that company to confirm the account is in your name.
What is a SPID and why do you need one?
A SPID, or Supply Point ID, is the unique reference for your water supply point, the water equivalent of an energy MPAN or MPRN. Every check, switch or query ultimately relies on it.
Keeping your SPID accessible
The SPID identifies your site in the central market systems run by MOSL, regardless of which retailer bills you. It usually appears near the top of your bill alongside the account number.
Save it somewhere you can find it, because it makes every future comparison, switch or meter query far faster. A retailer or comparison service can trace your supplier from the SPID alone.
What if you’ve moved into new premises?
On moving in, you inherit whichever retailer served the previous occupier, usually on a default contract, until you set up your own agreement or switch.
Sorting a change of tenancy
Tell the incumbent retailer you have taken over and complete a change of tenancy, giving a move-in meter reading so you are not billed for the previous occupier’s usage.
Do this promptly. Sites left on an unmanaged default contract after a move tend to sit on uncompetitive rates for far longer than they need to.
Who do you contact if you genuinely can’t find out?
If no bill, statement or landlord record helps, a water retailer or broker can trace your supply point and current supplier from your address, and the consumer body CCW can point you in the right direction.
Once you know your retailer
The Consumer Council for Water, CCW, is the independent body for water customers and can help if you are stuck. A water broker or comparison service can also trace the record for you.
Once you know who supplies you, check whether the rate is competitive and compare business water rates against the market before deciding to stay or switch.
