What is a water retailer?

Business water has a quirk that confuses a lot of owners: the company that bills you often isn't the one that supplies the water. Understanding the difference makes your bill — and your options — much clearer.

Retailer vs wholesaler

There are two parts to business water:

• The wholesaler — the regional water company that actually supplies the water and takes away wastewater, and maintains the pipes. You don't choose your wholesaler; it's set by your location.
• The retailer — the company that bills you, manages your account and handles customer service. This is the part you can choose.

The business water market

Since April 2017, non-household customers in England have been able to choose their water retailer (businesses in Scotland since 2008). You can switch retailer without changing your actual water supply — the wholesaler stays the same.

Why it matters

Here's the key point: wholesale charges make up most of your bill and are the same whichever retailer you use. Only the smaller retail element differs between retailers. So while switching can help — on service and the retail margin — the bigger savings often come from correcting billing errors rather than switching alone. See our guide on why your water bill is high.

No disruption to your supply

Reassuringly, switching retailer only changes who bills you and manages your account. The water, the pipes and the service all stay the same — there's no interruption. See switching your water supplier.

A water retailer bills and serves you; the wholesaler supplies the water. You can choose your retailer, but because wholesale is fixed, the smartest move is to compare retailers and check your bill together.