Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party) on Monday, 24 October 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 October 2016. It was answered by Baroness Coffey (Conservative) on Monday, 31 October 2016 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Utilities: Billing

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the average additional annual costs to domestic consumers who are unable to (a) pay utilities bills by direct debit or (b) receive utilities bills electronically in each of the last three years.

Answer

The Department has not made any estimate of the average additional annual costs to domestic consumers who do not pay by direct debit or receive an electronic water bill.

Water companies in England and Wales do not generally differentiate between customers that pay their water bill by direct debit or access their account online, and those that choose paper billing and annual payment. We are aware of two (Northumbrian Water and United Utilities) that offer an annual discount of £7 and £5 respectively. These discounts are not cross subsidised but reflect the value of the cost saving to companies and customers. These discounts are also an incentive to encourage greater sign up as there are benefits for both the customer and the company.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
49861
Session
2016-17
Subjects
Billing Fees and charges Utilities
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk