Customers - Dwr Cymru

Customers & Communities

Excellent Customer Service

We are a strong performer on Ofwat’s industry household customer service measure, C-MeX, having achieved a top five placing in each of the last four years 2021-2024. We have a hard-won place at the top of the industry league table on customer trust. According to CCW's Water Matters report, trust is "significantly higher" in Wales than it is in England. It is vital that we retain the trust of our customers, as they have the ability to contribute to solving some of the problems that we face. Our ambition is to be one of the best performing companies in England and Wales, every year.

2021

2022

2023

2024

All customers, including business and developer customers, equally deserve great service and we are determined that they receive it.

Our non-household customers range from small shops to local authorities and huge industrial sites. Unlike in England where retail services are subject to market competition, we can provide a fully integrated service to most customers across both wholesale and retail. We are committed to ensuring our business customers receive a service at least as good as the best available in England.

We will

Maintain our top 5 position on the C-MeX household customer experience measure
Maintain our record of strong customer satisfaction from non-household customers, ensuring we meet their needs and matching the best levels of customer service available in England
Aim to be a top performing company on developer customer satisfaction
Ensure that our services remain accessible to all customers, retaining our Wales-based contact centre so that our customers can always call and speak to a real person in English or Welsh
Expand our online service provision and ensure that we quickly embrace new customer service technology
Tackle causes of nuisance and poor customer satisfaction such as odour problems at Swansea Wastewater Treatment Works, and 'worst served customers' for flooding

Bills and affordability

The difficult economic outlook and the cost-of-living crisis puts severe financial pressure on many of our customers. Water bills are a small but still important proportion of household outgoings, particularly for poorer families, and we will not increase water bills by any more than is necessary. There is no other source of income to fund investment, and our customers say they don’t want us to postpone the investment needed to provide a sustainable service over the long-term. Our focus therefore must be on minimising bill increases by being efficient and providing support for those who have difficulty paying.

42%

Average household bill is to rise by 2030

97,000

Customers currently receiving support from our HelpU tariff

35,000

Customers currently receiving support through WaterSure Wales

The average Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water household customer bill will increase by an average of 27% for 2025-26. The total increase for this period up to 2029/30 will be 42% - excluding inflation. We will be enhancing our provision of the sector-leading social tariffs, which provide a flat lower bill for eligible customers facing financial hardship. Our generous approach to social tariffs is made possible by our not-for-profit model.

We will:

Contribute around £13 million a year towards social tariffs between 2025 and 2030
Do all we can to minimise the impact of bill increases for customers on social tariffs

In addition we have a ‘Cymuned’ (Community) scheme to support working customers who are struggling financially and need short-term help with their bill. This is the first scheme of its kind in the industry.

Welsh Water Visitor Attractions

We have five visitor centres: at Llyn Brenig in north Wales, Elan Valley in mid Wales, Llandegfedd in south-east Wales, Llys y Fran in the west, our new centre at Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs in Cardiff as well as two sites which provide recreational access at Lliw and Swiss Valley Reservoirs also in the west.

Llyn Brenig

Elan Valley

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Llandegfedd

Llys-y-frân

Lisvane & Llanishen

Find out more

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Community Fund

In 2017, we launched our Community Fund for projects who support environmental improvements, health and wellbeing. These projects can apply for between £250 and £1000 to help make a difference in their local communities. The Fund has now provided over £450,000 to charities and community organisations across our operating area.

Welsh Water’s Environment Fund has distributed a total of £3m of funding for environment projects across Wales and is open for applications. The fund provides financial support for projects that benefit biodiversity and nature with a focus on helping foster community engagement with the local environment.

Following a successful pilot in 2015-2020, we have expanded our Water Resilient Communities projects, targeting the communities that score poorly on the Welsh Index for Multiple Deprivation and have below average take-up of social tariffs. The projects have allowed us to target activity on a smaller geographic area, working with community groups and individuals to inform them about social tariffs, provide support for job seekers, enhance our education activity, and provide targeted debt and water efficiency advice. In 2020-2025 we have targeted Rhyl in North Wales, the northern part of the Rhymney Valley, and western areas of Newport.

We will:

Welcome over 1.2 million visitors a year to our visitor and recreation centres
Continue to deliver education programmes on the water cycle to school children
Continue to operate the Community Fund

Delivering excellent customer service

All customers, including business and developer customers, equally deserve great service and we are determined that they receive it.