Water Help

Got a question about your Unicom water service?

Find the most frequently asked questions and answers below. If you are unable to find your answer please contact our Customer Service team on 0161 946 4444.

Frequently Asked Questions

Business Water

    We need your Supply Point IDs (SPIDs), which are located on your invoice, and ideally your meter numbers, which are printed on your water meter. It would also be useful to have a copy of a current bill for each supply or site. This helps us to ensure correct meter sizes and locations.

    Once you’ve signed your contract it’ll be passed to our Head Office for processing and you’ll receive a call from our Welcome Team to make sure your supply details are correct. We’ll then place the order to transfer your services which will take around 14-28 days to complete

    Supply Point Identification Number is the reference used to identify which services your premises receives. Your property may have multiple supply points (if you are connected to the mains at several different points due to the design of the property) or it may only have a water or sewerage connection if you have a private set up on site for either. Drainage is normally included on a sewerage SPID.

    All services you take from Unicom will be invoiced on our unique one bill solution on a monthly basis. We issue bills from 5th of the month and Direct Debits are collected shortly after your invoice date. 

    Yes, you can view your bills online via Customer Zone. We recommend email billing which is simple and free to set up.

    We’ll read your meter twice a year. If it is safe for you to read your own meter, we also recommend providing meter reads monthly so that we can bill you as accurately as possible. Meter reads should be provided by the last working day of the month to be included in your next bill.  

    The easiest and quickest way to submit your meter reads is via our online portal, Customer Zone. Alternatively, you can email them to meter.read@switchingon.com or contact our Customer Service Team on 0161 946 4444.

    Take a look at our guide to meter reading.

    Give us a call and we’ll help you locate it. We receive market data that should contain where your meter is and how to read it. If this doesn’t sound right to you, please let us know and we’ll contact your wholesaler to find the meter, and move or replace it if needed. If we can’t read your meter because this isn’t up to date, we’ll work to get it read as soon as possible. 

    If you don’t have a meter your charges will be calculated using the Rateable Value or size of your property, rather than your actual usage. If you’d prefer to have a meter, we can request that one is installed at your property once you’ve switched to us. Installing a meter means that you’ll only pay for the water that you use, alongside your fixed water charges.  

    In the event of an emergency you should contact the wholesaler in your local area directly. The wholesaler in your area can be found on any invoice, or your welcome pack. Alternatively log in to Customer Zone for your supply information. If you have an emergency call us on 0161 946 4444 and we’ll give you the number for the wholesaler in your area.  

    In case of a leak, call a plumber in the first instance, most leaks are internal and remain your responsibility to fix. If you suspect you have a leak you should try and get it fixed as soon as possible, as you will have to pay for any water that goes into your property.  

    If you own a farm and need some advice on how to plan for an emergency, here is a helpful guide on what to do if you experience supply problems.

    Rateable Value (RV) is the value assigned to your property based on its size, location and other factors. It may be used to calculate your drainage charges or calculate your water usage if you don’t have a meter installed and don’t apply for assessed charges.

    RVs are periodically revalued to make sure they’re up to date and reflect any change in circumstances at the premises. Revaluations can mean RVs go up, go down or stay the same and any changes will impact your RV based water charges. Revaluations are carried out by the local valuation boards in Scotland, which is usually part of the local council, and the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England. You should contact them directly with any queries about how the RV for your premises was calculated.

    In Scotland, RVs are revalued every 3 years and are recorded by the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA). You can view your RV and see who your local valuation board is at www.saa.gov.uk.

    In England, the RV of all non-household premises are revalued every 5 years and are recorded by the VOA. You can view your RV and see how it was calculated at https://www.gov.uk/find-business-rates.

    If you a registered charity or a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) you may be exempt from water and wastewater charges.

    Click here for further information.

    If you’re charged an Early Termination Charge (ETC) we’ll pay up to a maximum of £300 into your bank account. Send us your final invoice from your previous supplier and we’ll make payment to your bank account within 28 days1

    Disclaimers:

    1 There is a maximum of one payment to the bank account, details of which we hold for you, of up to £300 in total per customer. To qualify for this offer, you must send Unicom a copy of the invoice from your previous water supplier that shows the value of the termination fee and the date of the invoice, which must be after the date on which Unicom first attempted to transfer your services to Unicom. Unicom may require a copy of your previous contract to validate that you are being correctly charged a termination fee. If the contract between you and Unicom is terminated as described in clause 13 of your terms and conditions, you must replay all termination fee amounts in full. The amount Unicom will pay is the lower of (1) your termination fee and (2) £300.