Western Water price review 2020

Overview

We have completed our review of the prices Western Water will charge from 1 July 2020.

We conducted our review under our new PREMO pricing framework(opens in a new window), which:

promotes better value and outcomes for Victorian water customers
requires water businesses to undertake meaningful customer engagement to inform their price submissions.

On 1 July 2021, City West Water and Western Water integrated to form business Greater Western Water. The price determination for Western Water applies to 30 June 2023, and must be complied with by Greater Western Water.

Our final decision paper explains our reasons for making this price determination.

View our final decision and price determination

10 June 2020

Western Water final decision

PDF 407.09 KB

10 June 2020

Western Water determination

PDF 787.76 KB

What will happen to your bill?

The table below shows the estimated typical annual bills (water and sewerage only) for residential customer groups during the regulatory period under the final decision (in $2020-21).

Customer group	Average consumption (kL p.a.)	2019-20 annual bill	2020-21 annual bill	2021-22 annual bill	2022-23 annual bill
Residential (owner occupier)	180	$1,041	$1,041	$1,083	$1,127
Residential (tenant)*	180	$249	$249	$284	$321

Note: *Tenant bill include rebates of $105.51 (2019-20 and 2020-21), $90.44 (2021-22) and $75.37 (2022-23).

Use our water bill calculator to estimate your annual bill.

Key facts from our final decision

Western Water addressed the concerns raised in our draft decision

Our draft decision proposed to not accept many of the proposals Western Water put forward in its price submission. In its response to our draft decision, Western Water materially addressed the concerns raised and the adjustments made to its tariff structures and prices now meet the requirements set out in our guidance.

Bills will rise by inflation only in 2020-21

A typical owner-occupier household will see their bill rise by inflation only over the next year, then increase by about four per cent (before inflation) in each of the following two years. Higher prices in the last two years of the pricing period are largely driven by the need to invest almost $300 million in new infrastructure to accommodate the significant population growth in Western Water’s region, and to maintain water and sewerage services for all customers.