Water is a limited and essential resource, and bringing it to citizens’ homes costs money. Unlike electricity and gas, we cannot choose the water company because each municipality has its own, and it is the one that issues our bill. Aigües de Barcelona is the name of this company in Barcelona.
Below, we have prepared a useful guide to understand the water bill.
What is the water bill like?
It comes in the mailbox every two months and is broken down as follows:
- Water supply. It refers to water consumption and is divided into the following concepts:
- Service fee. It is the fixed part that depends on the type of housing. The more water points, the more expensive the fee.
- Water consumption. It varies depending on what we consume. It is billed in tiers, and the price we pay for each m³ of water increases in each tier. So, if we exceed a tier, the same amount of water costs us more money. This measure aims to promote responsible water consumption. If there are more than three people living in the household, you can request an increase in the amount of water allocated per tier.
- Water canon. It is a tax paid to the Catalan Water Agency. Like water consumption, it is also billed in tiers, and the amount of water allocated per tier can be increased if there are more than three people living in the household.
- Sewerage and waste collection taxes. These are two taxes collected by the Barcelona City Council.
- VAT. Water consumption and the canon are subject to a 10% VAT.
The water bill also provides this information about the supply:
- Logo and information of the water company: VAT number, social denomination, and registered office.
- Invoice details: invoice number, billing period, etc.
- Billing summary: includes the total amount to be paid broken down by concepts.
- Water consumption information: quantity of m³ of water consumed in two months, the reading, and a histogram with the history of our consumption.
- Contract data: all the necessary information about the supply point and contractual data (such as the account holder or address), which are essential for management.
Discounts on the water bill
People in vulnerable situations are entitled to discounts to reduce the bill’s cost. The requirements to benefit from them can be consulted on the Aigües de Barcelona website (CAT).
The most important discounts are:
- Social tariff: 100% discount on the service fee and the amount corresponding to water consumption in the first and second tier.
- Social tariff of the water canon: 100% discount on the amount corresponding to the water canon if the first tier is not exceeded, or 50% for each of the tiers if the first tier has been exceeded.
- Discount or exemption from the waste collection tax: discount of between 50% and 100% of this tax.
- Exemption from the sewerage tax: 100% discount on this tax.
Energy Advisory Points
We remind you that the Barcelona City Council offers Energy Advisory Points (PAE) at your disposal, providing the information, attention, and intervention necessary for individuals to exercise their energy rights and for companies not to deny them access to basic services.
In this link, you will find more information about the service, how to contact them, and their location.