Northern Ireland (NI) Water has announced charges to its non-domestic water and sewerage customers will increase by an average of 1.65 per cent in 2017/18.
The new charges will be reflected in bills from April.
NI Water director of finance and regulation Ronan Larkin said the company could have increased tariffs by up to 2.56 per cent, on average, in 2017/18.
“However,” he said, “we believe our decision strikes a balance between generating sufficient income to allow us to continue delivering what matters for everyone who uses our services and minimising impact on non-domestic and business customers.”
NI Water is required to annually review the charges levied for water and sewerage services and agree them with the Utility Regulator, to ensure customers pay a fair rate. The new charges follow the Utility Regulator’s decision on the prices NI Water should charge customers between 2015-21.
The increased charges are being held below the rate of inflation. NI Water said means customers will still be paying 12 per cent less, in real terms, for their water and sewerage services than they did five years ago.
In Northern Ireland currently, water and sewerage charges only apply to non-domestic customers connected to the public water and sewerage system.
The Department for Infrastructure pays NI Water a subsidy in lieu of domestic charging, to enable it to maintain drinking water supplies and deliver sewerage services.
Over the last number of years there has been much debate on the issue of the introduction of water and sewerage charges for domestic customers in Northern Ireland.
However, the future for water and sewerage services and the possibility of direct water charges for domestic customers is a decision for the NI Executive.
In February, water companies in England and Wales announced an average bill increase of 2 per cent, effective from April.
Shortly before that, in January, Scottish Water confirmed its plans to implement a 1.6 per cent increase in household charges in April this year.