The price of drinking water will rise next year. All drinking water companies are raising their rates as they are faced with steep cost increases. The increase varies from about 20 euros to about 50 euros a year for an average household, depending on the company that supplies the water.
Drinking water companies are faced with higher energy, material and raw material costs, but they also have to invest heavily to ensure the availability of tap water in the future. This also causes the price increase that consumers will face.
The price of drinking water is composed of the cost per liter of water, the fixed tax and the Tap Water Tax (BoL), an environmental tax imposed by the national government.
According to the drinking water company Vitens, the largest supplier of water in the Netherlands, the average family of four uses around 163 cubic meters of water per year. In Vitens the costs will rise next year by around 20 euros per 100 cubic meters of water. A cubic meter of water (1000 litres) will cost 85 cents. It was still 72 cents in 2022.
At the PWN drinking water company in North Holland, the average consumer will pay around 48 euros more per year. PWN calls it a tremendous increase. “We’re doing everything we can to reduce costs, because we’re not for profit,” the company said. But PWN, like all other companies, has to invest heavily to provide water for everyone in the future.
Investments according to companies very urgent
“The population is growing. Many houses will be built in the coming years, all of them must have a water connection,” says the spokesperson for Oasen in South Holland. “Also, we need to work more sustainably. Underground pipes need to be replaced and the climate is changing. Dry summers have made it unequivocally clear how urgent investment is.”
The drinking water company WMD Drenthe will invest 36 million euros in the coming years, including in the search for new water sources. The rate in Drenthe increases by an average of 2 euros per month.
Dunea, who also supplies water to South Holland, says drinking water in the Netherlands is still relatively cheap. “At the same time, we realize that this rate hike for our customers is in addition to increases in energy and food prices, among other things.”
Drinking water providers point out to customers that they can affect their rate to some extent by being cheap with water. A more conscious use of water has been called for for some time. The cabinet wants the Dutch to use 20% less in 2035 than now. “Drinking water isn’t expensive, but it is expensive,” says Oasen.