NI Water has announced new charges for the 2026/27 period for non-domestic customers - effective from 1st April 2026, water and sewerage charges are set to increase by 7.9% on average.

Announcing the increase, NI Water said the rise reflects the company's aim to invest in infrastructure while ensuring fair prices for customers. The water company said the need to raise tariffs reflects the impact of rising inflation and continued high power costs has had on the cost of providing water and sewerage services to customers.

NI Water Director of Finance, Regulation & Commercial, Ronan Larkin, commented:

“When setting new tariffs, NI Water must strike a balance between generating sufficient income and minimising the impact on business customers. This year, given the continued significant cost challenges NI Water is facing, it is necessary to utilize the full price limit allowance. This decision was taken and approval for the tariff from the Independent Utility Regulator was secured.

“While this rise is necessary due in particular to the escalating costs of power and operational demands, we recognise the impact any rise can have on customers. It is, therefore, important that customers who may need extra help with their bill to communicate with us as soon as possible.

“The revenue from these bills is necessary for us to run the day to day operations, to support infrastructure investment and it brings benefits to the local economy and environment.”

Leaflets will be mailed to non-domestic customers to notify them of the forthcoming pricing changes and how they will be applied.

The proposed tariff increases must comply with price limits set by the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator which limit the extent to which tariffs can be increased. The Regulator uses Retail Price Index (RPI) as its main measure of inflation. The RPI measure of inflation used is based on November 2025 RPI which stood at 3.8%.

Measured customer bills will rise by 7.2%, while unmeasured and trade effluent bills will rise by 8.8% and 9.8% respectively.

Measured customers are charged for water and sewerage based on a meter reading. Unmeasured customers are charged based on the Net Annual Value (NAV) of their premises.

While the value of a customer’s bill will vary depending on the amount of water used or the value (NAV), NI Water cited the following as typical examples of how customers may be impacted by these increases:

• A medium size factory, connected to sewer, using 1,306M³ of water, will pay £5,232, a rise of £351 per year
• Farmer using 400M³ of water, with septic tank, will pay £405, a rise of £25.
• A shop or small office unit, connected to sewer, using 285M³ of water, will pay £569, a rise of £38 per year.
• Small to medium shop or office unit, with a NAV of £8,000, connected to sewer, will pay £455, a rise of £37.

The price limits used by NI Water to set regulated prices exclude inflation. The Utility Regulator, responsible for determining price limits, uses Retail Price Index (RPI) as its main measure of inflation.

The RPI measure of inflation used is based on November 2025 RPI which stood at 3.8%.

NI Water is required to annually review the charges levied for water and sewerage services and agree them with the NI Utility Regulator in order that customers pay the fairest rate for the water and sewerage services they receive.