WATER and sewerage charges for for businesses will be frozen for the next year.
From today, rates will be held at 2015/2016 levels but trade effluent charges will increase by 2.8 per cent, NI Water said.
The body said the decision would mean a reduction in real terms for almost 80,000 non-domestic customers.
NI Water director of finance and regulation Ronan Larkin said the price was "testament to our continued efficiency while improving services, and investing in essential infrastructure".
"Taking into account inflation, our non-domestic customers are paying 12 per cent less, on average, for their water and sewerage services than they did four years ago.”
Utility Regulator boss Jenny Pyper welcomed the announcement.
“This year, NI Water has introduced a new Nett Annual Valuation (NAV) which may result in an increase for some customers. It is important that the price paid for water and sewerage services reflects the actual cost of delivering these services to business properties and that charges are fair to all customers," she said.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Council’s head of water policy Graham Smith said: “Prices for metered customers have been frozen. Businesses without a meter may see their water bills change as their property’s Net Annual Value (NAV) changes. NAV is used to calculate water bills if you don’t have a meter. Most increases will be small but some will see their water and sewerage bills rise by over £100.
“Our advice to any business affected is firstly to check the NAV with Land and Property Services, then talk to NI Water about switching to a meter or getting an Assessed Charge, which is a charge based on the water-using appliances in the business.”
