New pricing from 1 July 2019

01 Jul 2019

Barwon Water is proud to have one of the lowest average residential customer bills in Australia1, and we are committed to continuing to keep customers’ bills low.

New prices apply from today, 1 July 2019. Prices are inclusive of inflation.

Fees and charges

For residents

Residential customers have consistently told us they wanted greater control over their bills with more incentives to save water. To this end, we are adjusting the balance of charges: lowering the proportion of fixed service charges and raising the proportion of variable usage charges. By 2023, more than 70% of the water charges on an average home bill will relate to the amount of water used, not fixed charges. This means – more than ever before – customers can save money by using less water.

Average residential owner/occupiers’ bills are set to include a minor increase of 0.7%, following the addition of inflation. This results in a bill rise of $1.79 per quarter, or just over $7 annually. The cost of an average residential tenant’s quarterly bill is set to rise by $1.30, or just over $5 for the year. This includes a $25 per annum ‘tenant rebate adjustment’. Both examples assume an average annual consumption of 160 kilolitres.

For businesses

Business customers told us it was important to keep costs stable, so average non-residential stayed the same in year one, with a 4% reduction (on average, excluding inflation) over the remaining four years. By 2023, non-residential customers will pay the same per kilolitre of water as residential users.

An average medium-sized business will save $90 on its bill this financial year (based on annual consumption of 3,000 kilolitres).

Our 5-year pricing plan

We are now entering the second year of a 5-year pricing plan that outlines our service standards, investment and pricing.

The plan was developed in partnership with our customers and community following 18 months of community conversations.

Fees and charges through to 2022/2023 were approved in June 2018 by the Essential Services Commission, the independent regulator of the water sector.

Highlights of the 5-year plan include:

  • Tripling financial support for customers in hardship, to $2.5 million.
  • Allocating an extra $2.5 million for water efficiency programs.
  • A strong capital works program, with $328.6 million on new and replacement infrastructure .
  • A $15.4 million allocation for renewable energy projects. As well as taking strong action on climate change, investing in renewables reduces our energy costs so savings can be passed on to customers.

We are continuing to identify and deliver $32 million in savings through innovative and efficient business practices and asset management. Our annual operating expenditure productivity rate of 2.3% (excluding inflation) is one of the most ambitious of all Victorian water corporations.

1. Compared to other water utilities with ≥100,000 customers. Source: Bureau of Meteorology national performance report 2017-18: urban water utilities