Every business, no matter what industry or sector they operate in, will have its own unique supply point identifier number (more commonly referred to as a SPID number). This code is necessary because it helps energy providers and utility companies identify your water and sewerage supplies across your business network.
In much the same way that you have a meter point administration number (known as an MPAN number) for your electricity supply and a meter point registration number (or MPRN) for your gas, you have a SPID number for your water.
You’ll find that businesses typically have two SPID numbers per premises, once for the actual water connection and the other for sewerage.
What is my business SPID number?
You can easily find out what your SPID number for both your water and sewerage connections is by looking at a recent water bill. The number itself is made up of ten digits, with either a ‘W’ for water or an ‘S’ for sewerage at the end.
If you can’t track down a recent bill, simply get in touch with your water retailer to let them know the supply address and they’ll be able to tell you what it is. Your SPID number will always stay the same for your business sites and the only time you’ll be issued with a new one is if you move your operations elsewhere.
The number is based on location, with English SPIDs starting with a 3 and Scottish numbers beginning with either 1 or 2. If you’ve turned a domestic property into a business or if you’ve built a new site somewhere, you’ll be assigned a SPID number and registered on the commercial wholesale water network.
It is possible that you may be contacted by your wholesaler to let you know that your premises is currently a gap site. This means that you haven’t yet been assigned a SPID number and, although you’re connected to the network and are using water, you’re not yet being billed by a business water supplier.
If you agree that you are a gap site, you will need to find a water retailer – which we can certainly help you with. If you don’t agree with the wholesaler, then you can get in touch with them and explain your circumstances so they can update their database.
It may be necessary for an in-person site inspection to be carried out to ascertain if you should be paying business water rates.
Why does my business need a SPID number?
Business SPID numbers are necessary because they tell your retailer and wholesaler where you’re accessing your water supply from, as well as giving them all the information they need to issue you with accurate bills and include all chargeable items linked to your operations, including full meter details and your return to sewer allowance.
What’s more, if you do decide you want to switch water supplier at any point, you’ll find your SPID number comes in very useful and makes the entire process much more efficient and easier to complete.
