Fair use allowance policy
Policy statement
Should a customer exceed their Fair Usage Allowance, United Utilities reserves the right to revert the customer to a standard tariff following engagement with the customer.
The allowances are designed to be generous and are based on our standard tariff plus a 10% tolerance threshold. Customers who are sensible with their water consumption are unlikely to exceed these limits.
| Measured households - number of occupants | Average daily Consumption | Total annual bill |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Occupant | 0.149 | £348.17 |
| 2 Occupants | 0.276 | £517.32 |
| 3 Occupants | 0.367 | £638.52 |
| 4 Occupants | 0.450 | £749.07 |
| 5 Occupants | 0.523 | £846.30 |
| 6 Occupants | 0.592 | £938.20 |
Each year, a random sample of all customers’ who are billed based on the in scope capped tariffs be checked to ensure that their consumption falls in line with the published averages, shown above plus a 10% tolerance increase.
Where customers are billed under a Collection Agreement individual accounts will be notified to the local authority and appropriate action will be required to be taken to address the unfair usage.
If it is found that the customer is using significantly more water than this, United Utilities reserve the right to remove the capped tariff and revert the customer to the standard measured or unmeasured tariff.
All customers will be notified of any changes to be made prior to any bills being generated.
Where it is determined that a leak has occurred which has caused the excessive usage we will require the occupier to have fixed the leak in line with the current leakage policy to be eligible for a leak allowance. Once the leak allowance has been added to the account and consumption has returned to normal levels no further action will be required. United Utilities operates a number of schemes to help customers with Affordability issues repair leaks and manage water usage to drive down their bills.