Water bills for hundreds of thousands of households are set to fall. On Friday 6 March 2026 the UK Government confirmed the first overhaul of WaterSure since 1999, the tariff cap for metered low‑income homes with high essential use. Water Minister Emma Hardy said the changes will “make a meaningful difference to families who need support most.” Officials expect about 300,000 households to benefit.

Under the reforms, eligibility widens to include disability benefits-Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance-where household income is below £25,745 and water use is high for medical reasons. Applicants must be on a meter, or on an assessed charge where a meter cannot be fitted, according to the Government announcement.

Today, around 260,000 households already receive WaterSure with average savings of roughly £325 a year, which the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs says is more than a third off a typical bill. A further 53,000 low‑income households are expected to qualify once the new rules take effect.

The cap itself is being tightened to make bills fairer. Water companies will be required to use the lowest available average bill-either the overall average or the metered average-when setting the WaterSure cap. Single‑person homes will be capped at the average bill for one occupant, and the need to pay for a GP letter will be removed, with companies agreeing to implement this voluntarily.

Most of the extra savings come from that change in how the cap is set. Government estimates suggest around 53,000 single‑person households could save up to £100 a year, while about 130,000 multi‑occupancy homes will save an additional £26 on average. In weekly terms, that is roughly £2 for single‑person homes and about 50p for others.

Funding is spread across all customers. From early 2027, other bills will include an additional £1.14 to support the scheme. Against the forecast 2026/27 average bill of £639, that works out at about 0.18 per cent-just over 2p a week.

We’ve run the numbers for a typical high‑usage home. The Government puts pre‑cap costs for WaterSure users at around £890 a year. With the current average saving of £325, that bill falls to roughly £565, or £47 a month. Under the new rules, a single‑person household with high medical need could see that drop by up to another £100.

Timing matters. The reforms are scheduled to come into force in early 2027 and will be mandatory in England and voluntary in Wales. In 2024/25, about 230,000 households in England and 30,000 in Wales received a WaterSure discount, so customers should check with their supplier how and when the new rules will apply.

Applications continue to go through water companies and typically need renewing annually. The removal of GP notes should cut cost and delay for applicants whose conditions drive higher water use, including some skin conditions, inflammatory bowel disease and home dialysis.

The policy arrives as bills trend higher in the short term. Average water bills rose 26 per cent to about £603 in 2025/26 and are forecast to rise a further 5 per cent to £639 in 2026/27. That backdrop makes targeted support like WaterSure valuable for households balancing essential costs.

Consumer and charity groups have welcomed the direction. The Consumer Council for Water said the changes reflect its recommendations and should bring peace of mind to customers with unavoidable high water use. Disability equality charity Scope called the wider eligibility very good news, while Money Advice Trust, which runs National Debtline, noted that one in five people it helped last year were already behind on water bills and said strengthening WaterSure is a step forward.

Beyond WaterSure, ministers point to consumer measures in the Water White Paper, including a faster roll‑out of smart meters and mandatory water‑efficiency labelling on appliances. The Government estimates labelling could save households around £125 million in total over the next decade, and better metering should help people track and trim usage.

For households, the takeaway is practical. If you have three or more children or you rely on high water use for medical reasons and you’re on a low income, speak to your supplier about WaterSure now and again ahead of 2027. Keep benefit evidence ready, ask whether the GP letter is already being waived, and ensure the cap applied uses the lowest available average-and, if you live alone, the one‑person benchmark.