The amount we can charge our customers for your clean water supply is set every five years by the independent regulator OFWAT, and takes in an agreed level of inflation.
From 1 April, our average household bill will be £245.44 for all the water supplied to your home for drinking, cooking, cleaning, gardening, hygiene and any other additional needs.
This increase of 1.59 per cent on last year—an average of 31 pence per month—is less than inflation. The increase will help with the significant costs of electricity and chemicals needed to treat and supply your tap water, as well as maintaining and improving our network of 9,000 miles of pipes.
The table below shows the change in the average bill from 2024/25, for measured and assessed / unmeasured customers:
Individual customers' bills will vary and could be more or less expensive than the advertised average.
| 2024-25 | Average bill | Change in £ | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measured | £244.90 | £3.62 | 1.50% |
| Assessed (unmeasured) | £260.67 | £12.06 | 4.85% |
If your property has a meter. You'll be billed every six months on how many cubic metres of water you have used, measured by your meter. Your bill will also contain your Standing Charge.
If your property does not have a meter. You will receive an annual bill for 01 April until 31 March the following year.
These charges pay for the abstraction, treatment, and supply of top-quality drinking water directly to your taps.
Support On Tap
Talking about money can be tough. But, if you're struggling to pay your bill, we have a range of schemes to help.
We have increased the income threshold by nine per cent for our Social Tariff, which caps the cost of tap water and wastewater, to £18,725, so more of our customers can receive help.
We have also expanded our innovative data-sharing scheme with local councils to automatically identify and sign up eligible customers who may benefit from extra financial help. Our Trusted Partners Scheme, working with charities and voluntary groups, is automatically transferring customers onto the tariff and Priority Services Register without needed to apply, but if you're yet to hear from us regarding this and you're in need of a little extra help, please get in touch. We're here to help.
What is a cubic metre (m3)?
One cubic metre may not sound like much, but it equals 1,000 litres, or ten washing machine cycles.
It is a unit of volume measurement that is 1 metre wide, 1 metre in height and 1 metre in depth.
Our charges 2024-25
Metered charges 2024/25
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing charge | £32.48 | £32.48 | £32.48 | £32.48 |
| Volumetric charge per m3 | £2.25 | £2.25 | £2.25 | £1.70 |
| Typical bill | £257.47 | £257.47 | £257.47 | £202.93 |
Unmetered charges 2024/25
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing charge | £29.02 | £68.98 | £29.02 | £29.02 |
| Rateable Value (RV) | £2.20 | £1.82 | £2.06 | £1.32 |
| Typical bill | £455.54 | £336.04 | £410.01 | £345.65 |
Assessed charges 2024/25
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessed one | £182.82 | £182.82 | £182.82 | £146.94 |
| Assessed two | £245.82 | £245.82 | £245.82 | £205.40 |
| Assessed three | £312.64 | £312.64 | £312.64 | £251.42 |
| Assessed four | £356.66 | £356.66 | £356.66 | £293.64 |
| Assessed five | £432.48 | £432.48 | £432.48 | £345.80 |
| Assessed six+ | £661.10 | £661.10 | £661.10 | £671.60 |
| Single room | £111.14 | £111.14 | £111.14 | £93.70 |
| Single occupier | £147.56 | £147.56 | £147.56 | £121.82 |
| Other dwellings | £147.56 | £147.56 | £147.56 | £121.82 |
Our charges 2023-24
Metered charges 2023/24
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing charge | £32.36 | £32.36 | £32.36 | £32.36 |
| Volumetric charge per m3 | £2.14 | £2.14 | £2.14 | £1.62 |
| Typical bill | £246.36 | £246.36 | £246.36 | £194.36 |
Unmetered charges 2023/24
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing charge | £28.54 | £67.90 | £28.54 | £28.54 |
| Rateable Value (RV) | £2.09 | £1.74 | £1.96 | £1.26 |
| Typical bill | £434.62 | £322.92 | £391.76 | £330.44 |
Assessed charges 2023/24
| Sussex | Mid Kent | West Kent | Mid Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessed one | £174.66 | £174.66 | £174.66 | £140.36 |
| Assessed two | £235.70 | £235.70 | £235.70 | £197.22 |
| Assessed three | £299.36 | £299.36 | £299.36 | £241.04 |
| Assessed four | £341.30 | £341.30 | £341.30 | £281.26 |
| Assessed five | £413.52 | £413.52 | £413.52 | £330.96 |
| Assessed six+ | £631.34 | £631.34 | £631.34 | £641.36 |
| Single room | £107.40 | £107.40 | £107.40 | £90.80 |
| Single occupier | £142.08 | £142.08 | £142.08 | £117.58 |
| Other dwellings | £142.08 | £142.08 | £142.08 | £117.58 |
Help paying your bill
If you're struggling to pay your bill, please don't worry. We're here to help.
We have a range of support tariffs and can confidentially discuss an affordable payment plan. The best thing to do is give us a call so we can find the right option for you.
Waste water charges
At South East Water, we are a clean drinking water-only supplier, and do not deal with any waste water operations or sewage.
Although we do bill on behalf of Southern Water and Thames Water to ensure the billing and payment process is as streamlined as possible for our customers, we are a separate company.
This means we're unable to help you with waste water emergencies as this is not part of our network.
- If you have a wastewater emergency in the Southern Water area please call 0330 303 0368(opens in a new tab)
- If you have a wastewater emergency in the Thames Water area please call 0800 316 9800(opens in a new tab)
If you're not sure which area you're in you can use the handy postcode tool on the Water UK website(opens in a new tab)
