New research commissioned by Thames Water surveying 2,001 adults between 18 and 23 March, 2026 in London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Wiltshire shows that almost a third of people do not know they could reduce their utility bills.

New water and wastewater tariffs come into effect from today, 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.

The typical Thames Water increase for dual water and wastewater customers will be 3.4%, which is in line with inflation (3.5% CPIH Nov 24 to Nov25).

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 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.

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.”