Almost a third of people unaware they could be eligible to reduce their utility bills

• Thames Water offers a range of financial assistance schemes, including discounts of 50 per cent for eligible customers and currently helps almost 600,000 households. 
• 30 per cent of people are unaware utility companies have financial support schemes available. 
• 60 per cent of people surveyed are concerned about balancing their household budgets over the next 12 months.  

Almost a third of people do not know they could reduce their utility bills reveals new research by Thames Water r[1] .  

New water and wastewater tariffs come into effect on Wednesday (April 1), along with other household bills for Council Tax, energy, TV licence and car tax, but 30 per cent of people are unaware they could be eligible for financial assistance from their utility provider. Sixty per cent of respondents admitted they were concerned about balancing their household bills over the next 12 months. 

Thames Water currently helps almost 600,000 households, and provided more than £200 million-of financial assistance in the 2024/25 financial year. 

Customers whose water bill is more than five per cent of their equivalised net income [3] could qualify for a 50 per cent discount under Thames Water’s WaterHelp scheme. 

Households with a water meter could have their bills capped with Thames Water’s WaterSure social tariff. To qualify, someone in the household must receive a means-tested benefit and have either a medical condition that requires extra water, or three or more children under the age of 19 living at the property making them eligible for child benefits. 

Other financial support offered by Thames Water includes Water Direct that helps customers in receipt of benefits, who are falling behind on their bills by combining it with other arrears into one weekly payment, and Customer Assistance where the company will help organise an affordable monthly payment for eligible people who owe at least £120 in debt. Thames Water matches all payments made towards the arrears and at the end of the two-year plan, the company will clear any remaining arrears. 

Last year, Thames Water launched a pilot scheme across 15 London boroughs to ensure customers in financial difficulty are automatically enrolled for the assistance they are entitled to, even if they are unaware of their eligibility. 

Thames Water’s Extra Care team can help find the right support for customers struggling to pay. They will check the eligibility for one of Thames Water’s financial support schemes and guide customers to trusted debt advice if needed. Further details are at thameswater.co.uk/help-paying.  

Nina White, Director of Income at Thames Water, said: “Our purpose is to deliver life’s essential service, and we are determined to support customers who are struggling to pay their household bills. 

“Our research shows that two-thirds of respondents are more concerned about balancing their household budgets and bills than they were before the start of the 2022 cost-of-living crisis. 

“Thames Water has made great strides by targeting our support proactively working with third parties and using data, including in our pilot auto-enrolment scheme in London, and this has seen the expansion of the number of people we are helping year-on-year. 

“We encourage any customer worried about their ability to pay to contact us so we can help find the right support package for their circumstances.” 

The research also found 90 per cent of people thought it was important for utility companies to provide financial support options for customers. 

Notes to Editors 

[1] Find Out Now surveyed 2,001 adults between 18 and 23 March, 2026 in London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Wiltshire. Results were also filtered and weighted to be representative by age, gender, region and county. 

[2] Thames Water’s Half Year Results for 2025/26. 

The typical Thames Water increase for dual water and wastewater customers will be 3.4%, which is in line with inflation (3.5% CPIH Nov24 to Nov25). This equates to less than £2 a month (metered) extra and up to £2.50 a month (unmeasured) extra in 2026-27 for a typical bill. 

[3] Equivalised income is explained here by the Office for National Statistics. 

About Thames Water  

Thames Water is the UK’s biggest water and wastewater services provider, providing 2.7 billion litres of drinking water and safely removing 4.6 billion litres of wastewater every day.  Our people provide essential services around the clock to c.16 million customers across London, the Thames Valley, and surrounding areas.   

In 2025, we started the biggest upgrade to our network in 150 years, which will see a record-breaking investment of over £20 billion, fixing leaks, reducing pollution and protecting water quality, over the next five years. In 2024/25, we invested £2.2 billion, and we will continue to spend wisely on improving resilience, service, and efficiency, as well as provide more support for customers in vulnerable circumstances.       

We also have additional responsibilities to society and the natural environment. What we do and how we do it delivers significant public value, which is why we have ambitious plans to self-generate more of our own power, reduce our carbon emissions and increase biodiversity across our sites.