Frequently asked questions

If you would like to update the contact details we hold on your account, you can do this by contacting our Customer Service team via email at   customer.services@everflowutilities.com or by calling 0330 6600137
We understand there maybe instances where you require multiple people to deal with your utility accounts on your behalf. You can request this by contacting our Customer Service team via email at  customer.services@everflowutilities.com or by calling 0330 6600137

If you are planning to move into an Everflow supplied property, please contact us on or after the day that you move in. You can do this by filling out  this form or by contacting our Movers team directly on 02475 185416. Their opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00 - 17:00 (excluding bank holidays).

We may require evidence of your move, for example a tenancy agreement. 

To ensure the accuracy of your account it is important you take a meter reading on the day of the move. For help with reading your meter, please see this handy video. 

If you are planning to move out of a property, please can you inform us on or after the day you move out. You can do this by filling out this  form or by contacting our Movers team directly on 02475 185416. There opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00 - 17:00 (excluding bank holidays).

If you have an aged debt on your account or if you are advising us of a change in tenancy over 30 days after the change we may require proof. For example, a tenancy agreement. 

To ensure the accuracy of your account it is important you take a meter reading on the day of the move. For help with reading your meter, please see this handy video

This is the annual charge used to cover the costs of managing your account. Managing your account includes everything from the billing, meter reading and wholesaler management services we provide. The charge that appears on your invoice is calculated by dividing this annual fee by 365 days, and multiplying it by the number of days billed. We charge a fixed yearly retail fee, instead of charging you a percentage based on how much water you use. This means that we can help you keep your water usage and your costs as low as possible.
You can pay as many accounts as you like from one bank account however, to receive seperate invoices, each property would need it's own separate account number.
We've designed our invoice to be as transparent as possible when it comes to your usage and charges. Check out this  invoice guide to better understand your invoice

Trade effluent is any liquid waste (effluent) other than surface water and domestic sewerage that is discharged from premises being used for a business, trade or industrial process. Trade effluent may be waste water contaminated with materials such as: 

- Fats, oils and greases
- Chemicals
- Detergents
- Heavy metal rinses
- Solids

- Food wastes

If you are proposing to discharge trade effluent from your business premises, you will need consent to do this. Please contact us at

customer.services@everflowutilities.com and we will assist you in your application.


If you can demonstrate a sustained or significant change in the trade effluent being discharged from your business premises, we may be able to change or challenge the chargeable strength of your trade effluent. Please contact our customer service team and we will investigate this further.

Some non-household customers pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on water bills. VAT is chargeable to customers who have a SIC classification between 1 and 5 of the 1980 edition of Standard Industry Classifications. VAT will be charged at 20% on clean water services if your business falls into one of the following categories:

Division 1 – Energy and water supply industries
Division 2 – Extraction of minerals and ores other than fuels; manufacture of metals, mineral products and chemicals.
Division 3 – Metal goods, engineering and vehicle industries. Manufacture of metal goods not elsewhere specified.
Division 4 – Other manufacturing industries
Division 5 – Construction

If you believe your VAT status needs updating, you will first need to arrange for your busines use (SIC) code to be updated in Companies House.
A SPID is your property's Supply Point Identifier – find out more about SPIDs

here.

 

Each regional wholesaler has their own charging scheme which means although you may have two properties of a similar size, the locations could lead to a difference in the wholesaler prices.

There are several reasons why an invoice may be higher than normal. Usually, a high invoice is received following a meter read being taken from your property. Meter reads taken from your property are usually displayed on a graph on page 3 of your invoice with actual reads shown in green on the graph and estimated reads in blue. Your meter serial number is also displayed on this page. If your meter has not been read for a while, often a higher than usual invoice will be received after a read is taken if we have been estimating you are using less water than you actually are.

If your invoice is higher than normal, in the first instance we recommend checking your meter to ensure the meter serial number and reads shown in your invoice are accurate.

If there is a problem with the meter reads or meter serial number on your invoice, you can let us know by completing the following  form and attaching a current photo of your meter, clearly displaying the read and the serial number. 

Once you have confirmed the meter read and serial number are correct, there are other things to consider that may cause a high invoice. Has your business been using more water than normal for example, increased production, more staff on site, increased outlets?

If there has been an increase in water usage at your property that is unexplained, you may have a leak. You can find details how to complete a leak test  here.
A highways drainage charge is a fee that covers water that drains from the public roads into the sewers. Business customers are charged an annual fee to treat the water which flows into the sewers. If you are not connected to a public sewer you will not be charged for highways drainage. 

Surface water or groundwater drains directly or indirectly into a public sewer. A charge is applied to your account to cover the cost of treating this waste water and is calculated based on either the size of your property (in square meters) or a fixed charge based on the size of your meter or your consumption at the property.

If you think your surface water drainage charge is incorrect, you can let us know by emailing our Customer Service team via customer.services@everflowutilities.com and providing the following information:

Account number

SPID

Meter ID

Business name

Supply address

Name of the person authorised to discuss the account

Attach site plan (detailing hard surfaces and soak aways, including measurements)

If rain water does not drain from your property into a public sewer, you may be entitled to a surface water rebate. You can let us know if you believe you qualify by emailing our Customer Service team via customer.services@everflowutilities.com  and providing the following information:

Account number

SPID

Meter ID

Business Name

Supply address

Name of the person authorised to discuss the account

Attach Site Plan - (Detailing hard surfaces and soak aways, including measurements)

If you have had a leak at your property outside of your typical usage and registered on your meter, we maybe able to apply for a leak allowance with your wholesaler on your behalf. Usually a leak allowance for water will only be granted if the leakage occured on or before the meter. The supply from the meter to your property is your responsibility and an allowance for water lost in this way will not normally be granted.

If you have experienced a leak from pipework that is your responsibility, you may be entitled to an allowance for water water lost during the leak if you can evidence that the lost water did not drain into a public sewer. For example the leak was underground.

If you would like to apply for a leak allowance, please contact our Customer Service team via email at customer.services@everflowutilities.com  and provide the following information:

Account number

SPID

Meter ID

Business Name

Supply address

Name of the person authorised to discuss the account

Who repaired the leak (e.g. plumber, yourself)

The date of the repair

A meter reading taken directly after the repair

A meter reading taken at least 14 days later

The date the leak was first noticed

The location of the leak

Where did the water drain away to

A plumber’s report/ invoice and any other evidence such as photos (Attach document)

The pressure drops or the meter spins faster or slower than usual. Please refer to our helpful  Self Leak Test Guide to see if you have a leak, or check your wholesaler's website to see if work is being carried out in your area.

 

If you have a metered supply, your usage is estimated based on your last two reads. If regular reads are not received this may result in under or over estimation, which will be reflected by a change in your billing amount once a read is received. You can submit a meter reading by filling in our online form or via our Customer Portal.

Some customers do not have a meter and their invoices will be calculate in one of two ways.

1. Assessed Charges - The wholesaler in your area will apply a predicted amount of annual usage for your property based on:

- The type of business of the property.

- The number of employees (full and part time)

- The type of water fixtures at the property (ie staff showers, washing machines etc.)

- Whether there is a staff canteen.

Based on the above the wholesaler will supply us with an assessed annual volume and assessed meter size, which allows us to bill volumetric rates as though there was a meter at the property.

If you believe the assessed charges applied to your property are incorrect, you can tell us by contacting our Customer Service team via email at customer.services@everflowutilities.com, attaching a copy of your site plan and we will then investigate this on your behalf with your wholesaler. Please note it could take up to 30 days to receive a response from your wholesaler.

2. Unmeasured Charges (sometimes called unmetered) - These are based upon the valuation of your property not the water usage. A rateable value is placed on your property and you will receive a fixed rateable value. In England rateable values were set in 1990, in Scotland the rateable value can be changed at anytime by the Scottish Assessors Association. These charges are not set by anyone in the water industry and if you wish to query these charges, you will need to contact the Scottish Assessors Association or your local Council in England to have this value amended.

You can access the portal online between 7am and 9pm. 

Please ensure you enter the correct password when attempting to log in. The portal allows five attempts to enter the correct password before locking your account.  Click here to create your account or log in.

Click here to create your account. You will need to input your account number (including any -0 or -1 etc at the end) and follow the link that will be sent to the contact email address on your account.

The contact and billing details on your account are the ones that we hold for you on our system. If these are not correct, please get in touch so we’ve got the right details for you going forward.
After inputting your account number to sign up, an email will be sent to the contact email address on your account. If the contact email is correct, check your junk folder. If you would like to change your contact email, please contact 

customer.services@everflowutilities.com or phone us on 0330 6600 137.

Please contact our Customer Services department and we can provide you with evidence to forward to your previous supplier to prove that your supply is now with us.
An unmeasured tariff means there's no meter present at your property, so the tariff charges are based on pre-determined rates relating to the business rateable value.
A measured tariff means there is a chargeable meter present. This tariff is based on the amount of water used, the volume of wastewater discharged into sewers and the strength of the discharge (if trade effluent is present).
A fixed charged is based on the size of the meter and pipe size.

We aim to read our customers meters every six months, but we also encourage all of our metered customers to send us monthly readings  via our portal.

Here's a few reasons why having regular meter readings is so important:

Accurate billing

The first and most obvious point: accurate billing. If you send us a read up to five working days before your bill date, we can make sure that your read is included in your monthly bill, and ensure that your charges are as accurate as possible. If you can send us regular reads, you can avoid getting a catch-up bill from where your usage might have been higher or lower than estimated.

Leak detection

Let's hope it never comes to it, but leaks do happen, and they can happen in pipes that aren't visible to you. Eventually, if gone unnoticed, this can cause property damage, damp, and large bills. However, regular meter reads can help identify when things go wrong. If your meter shows increased consumption but you do not believe your usage has changed, it could mean that you have a leak. If you think you may have a leak, a simple leak test (you can find out how to do one  here) will help identify if there is one, and allow you to make the relevant repairs as soon as possible.

Environmentally friendly

We know what you're thinking, how can reading your meter regularly make you more environmentally friendly? Keeping on top of your water usage and your bills makes you more aware of the amount of water that you're using. As you encourage your business to be efficient about your water usage, you'll be saving water and reducing the stress on the planet's water resources.

Hopefully we've convinced you that reading your water meter regularly is important.

If it is safe and legal for you to read your meter yourself, we recommend sending us meter readings every month. If you send us a reading five working days before your bill date, we can make sure it is reflected in your monthly invoice.

Your wholesaler may be carrying out work in your area. It's worth checking your wholesaler's website if you believe this may be the case. Alternatively, you may have a leak – you can use our  Self Leak Test Guide to help you work out if this might be the cause. 

Please refer to our Emergency contact page. Give your wholesaler a call directly if you are experience a burst or leak outside the boundary of your premises, no water, strange smell, colour or taste to your water, low pressure, sewer flooding and blockages or trade effluent compliance issues.

If you property is based in Scotland and it is vacant you are still required to pay fixed charges and a retail fee. If your property is in England and meets the following criteria you maybe eligible for a reduction in charges whilst the property is vacant.

- Is there any physical occupation at the property for any purpose excluding security services?

- Is the premises open/available to the public/visitors?

- Is there any stock in the premises unless abandoned by a former tenant?

- Are there any moveable items left i.e., furniture or equipment/tools?

- Are there any fixtures or fittings that have been abandoned by a former tenant and the premises is no longer in use?

If your property meets the above criteria, please contact our Customer Service team via email at customer.services@everflowutilities.com  and include the following information:

Date the property became vacant

Read on date the property became vacant

Read today

Is there any physical occupation at the property for any purpose excluding security services? Y/N

Is the premises open/available to the public/visitors? Y/N

Is there any stock in the premises unless abandoned by a former tenant? Y/N

Are there any moveable items left i.e. furniture or equipment/tools? Y/N

Are there any fixtures or fittings that have been abandoned by a former tenant and the premises is no longer in use? Y/N

Please note even if your property is vacant, it is important you continue to take regular meter reads as this can help to identify any problems or leaks. You must also tell us when your property becomes occupied.

There are a few checks that would need to be carried out in order to be able to look in to this further for you.

Complete a flow test.

- Take a meter read. A photo of the read would be helpful.

- Ensure no water is being used or being requested in the property.

- Measure 10 litres of water.

- Take a further meter read. A photo of the read would be helpful.

Following the test.

- If the meter records the 10 litre usage this indicates there are no issues with the meter.

- If the meter is over or under recording, please contact our customer service team by emailing customer.services@everflowutilities.com or by calling 0330 6600 137. Our opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 (excluding bank holidays). 

 The easiest way to submit meter readings is by completing our online form You can also submit reads via our portal, over the phone on 0330 6600 137 or by emailing  meter.readings@everflowutilities.com -whichever way you prefer!

We recommend submitting a meter read monthly via our portal, or by completing this form. It can take five days for a meter read to be uploaded onto your account and so we recommend prior to the date of your next invoice. It's good practice for you to check your water meter reading regularly as it can help identify a leak on supply or find problems with your meter. We do not recommend submitting more than one read per month for each meter.

We aim to read your meter every six months. If we are unable to take a read on the visit, we will contact you by email to let you know.  If we identify an issue during these cyclical reads, our customer services department will contact you and help to resolve the issue.
We understand that based on location some of our customers find it difficult to read their meters. If you are unable to read your meter, is there a friend, family member or colleague who can read the meter on your behalf?

As many meters are situated below ground, it may be necessary for you to clear water or debris from the meter chamber to allow you to view the meter.

If the dial on your meter is broken, cracked or damaged, you can tell us about this by contacting our Customer Service team via email at customer.services@everflowutilities.com, attaching a photo of the meter. We will then investigate this further.

You can set up a Direct Debit by contacting our Customer Service team via email at  customer.services@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 6600137.
We understand that from time to time businesses struggle financially. We are happy to support you in anyway we can during difficult times and we may be able to offer you a bespoke payment plan. If you require our support with a payment of your invoice, you can contact our dedicated Collections team by emailing

customer.billing@everflowutilities.com or by calling 0330 6600137. Our opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 (excluding bank holidays).


To allow us to set an accurate plan on your account it would be helpful if you could provide an up to date meter read when you contact us. For help reading your meter, see our handy video.
You can make a payment in the following ways:
- Card payment - You can contact us on: 0330 6600137. Our opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00 - 17:00 (excluding bank holidays). 
- BACS payment - You can make a BACS payment anytime with the following details:

Company details:

Everflow Ltd
Traynor 2 Hub
Trayor Way
Peterlee
SR8 2RU

Company Number: 09651912
VAT Number: 313 685 119

BACS details:

Name: Everflow Ltd
Bank: HSBC
Address: 110 Grey St
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 6JG

Account Number: 64521307
Sort Code: 40-34-18
Direct Debit is the most convenient way to pay. Cancelling your Direct Debit could mean additional charges are added to your account. If you are considering cancelling your Direct Debit, please contact our Collections team to explore other options available to you. You can speak to the team by calling 0330 6600137 or emailing

customer.billing@everflowutilities.com. Their opening hours are Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 (excluding bank holidays). 

Try the following, one at a time:

1. Refresh your browser and try again
2. Log out and log back in again. Click on the logout button in the top right of the Customer portal to log out. This will then take you to a log in screen. Fill in your login details and sign in.
3. Clear your browser's cache. Sometimes web pages won't load if your browser's cache needs clearing.

4. Click this link to learn how to clear the cache on your browser (https://fabricdigital.co.nz/blog/how-to-hard-refresh-your-browser-and-clear-cache)
5. Restart your device. Make sure any documents are saved, and turn your device off and on again.

If you are encountering an issue or slowness when using the platform, it may be due to the quality of your internet connection.
If you are not connected to a WiFi connection, you will need some form of mobile data coverage. Mobile data coverage can be patchy, so you may need to move to a location with better coverage, or find a WiFi network. If you are unsure if this is the case, try accessing another website and see if it is working.
A bandwidth of 10Mbps or above is normally needed. You can use this website to check your network bandwidth: https://fast.com
If none of the above steps have fixed the problem, let us know by getting in touch at  customer.services@everflowutilities.com so we can get it sorted for you as soon as possible.

When you complete a quote it will ask you if there are any time/access restrictions that might affect your collection.  Whilst we can’t guarantee will always try to arrange a collection within these preferences. 

Depending upon the type of waste you require collecting, you will be provided with a number of container options suitable for that waste type, this will include information on the size of container. If you need more help in deciding on which option is best for you, you can contact us via email at   wastecustomerservices@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 165 9890.

The waste services we currently offer are:

- General

- Recycling

- Glass

- Food

- Cardboard

- Clinical

- Washroom services

- Confidential 

We are continually updating our service offerings. If you do not see the waste type you need collecting please contact our customer services team via email at wastecustomerservices@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 165 9890 and they will be happy to discuss your requirements. 

For missed collections please contact our customer services team via email at wastecustomerservices@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 165 9890.

 

We operate a Fair Use Policy to help our customers avoid unexpected charges for their waste. 

There are no additional charges other than what your quotation/contract states.

When a supplier is chosen, this is based on your requirements provided when generating your quote.  If you are unhappy with the service provided please contact us via email at  wastecustomerservices@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 165 9890.

All businesses that produce waste are required by law to have a Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note.  The document is valid for one year but must be retained by the owner/business for two years after its expiry. 

We will provide you with this as part of our service at no additional cost.   
Yes of course, should any of your requirements change or any services need increasing/decreasing, we will work with you to ensure amendments are made ASAP.  

 

Yes, please contact our customer service team at   wastecustomerservices@everflowutilities.com or by calling us on 0330 165 9890.
When we refer to waste management this includes the collection, removal and transportation of your waste to its point of disposal by our appointed suppliers.  At the point of collection they will monitor your waste and depending upon the type of waste removed this can also include the treatment of waste and recycling. 
There are many methods that a business can dispose of waste, but they should aim to follow the waste hierarchy by preventing, reusing, recycling, recovering and lastly disposing of their waste. 
All businesses produce waste, this is what is classed as commercial waste. 
Commercial waste is handled by the Business Owner. They have the responsibility for ensuring the waste is removed by a licensed supplier.  Once removed what happens to it next will vary depending on the type of waste being removed, for example, it may be recycled, sent to landfill or incinerated. 
UK SMEs typically spend in the region on £15-£50 per week to have their waste collected. 
It is the responsibility of the Business owner to ensure their business waste is disposed of appropriately and must have a trade waste agreement to ensure this is being handled legally.  It is typically only residential waste that is free of charge to remove. 

All business owners are responsible for the safe storage of all waste produced and that this is disposed of in an appropriate manner with licensed suppliers.  A Duty of Care waste transfer note will outline this and was is legally required.