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What is the open market?

On 1st April 2017 the water market in England opened for competition. Similar to the Gas & Electricity market, this created new entities known as wholesalers and retailers.   

The benefits of the open market will depend on the individual requirements of each business. But in a competitive market, customers can negotiate with retailers for the best price and choose a service package to suit their needs. 

As a wholesaler, United Utilities is still responsible for:

  • Maintaining the water and wastewater pipe networks across the North West
  • Managing the supply of water to your business 
  • Collecting, treating and returning your wastewater to the environment

You can find out more about the services United Utilities provides to businesses and the standards of service you can expect to receive from us in this leaflet (PDF 3,151 KB opens in a new window).

As a business customer you now have the flexibility to choose your retailer. Retailers are responsible for:

  • Your bills and payments
  • Reading your meter
  • Customer service and water saving advice

In preparation for this new open market, United Utilities entered into a joint venture with Severn Trent to create a retailer called Waterplus. This means that if you were previously a United Utilities business customer, and have not switched to a new retail service provider, you will now be a customer of Waterplus.

Further information about Waterplus together with all other retailers can be found on the Open Water website. 

What is a SPID?

SPID stands for Supply Point Identifier and is similar to an MPAN number found in the gas and electricity market. It is used to identify the services your premises is in receipt of. 

If you’re thinking of changing retailer, then your SPID(s) will be required by your new retailer to switch your retail services and can be found on a recent water bill. A SPID normally contains 13 digits and will contain either a W for water or S for sewerage as the 11th digit.

You will have separate SPIDs for water and sewerage (if you receive both services).

Although it is helpful to provide your SPID(s) to a retailer, you do not need to know your SPID number(s) if you want to switch retailer. It just helps to make the process of switching easier for everyone involved.