Tallinn water bills to rise for households, fall for businesses
Tallinn's water supplier Tallinn Vesi is to raise household water bills by nearly €2 per month.
Prices to most commercial customers meanwhile are set to fall.
The company made the announcement following Competition Authority (Konkurentsiamet) approval of its application to harmonize water service prices for private and business customers from July 1.
Tallinna Vesi cited a legal requirement for equal pricing for households and businesses,
This means from July 1 this year, Tallinna Vesi water prices will chnage by an average of 2.5 percent, increasing for private customers and falling for most business customers.
For the average household, spending on water services will rise by nearly €2 a month, Tallinna Vesi said.
Tallinna Vesi CFO Taavi Gröön said the price change was also driven by investment needs. "The price application takes into account investments planned for this year that are necessary to ensure the quality and continuity of water and wastewater services and to protect the environment," he said.
Gröön said the company has since 2010 been moving toward alignment in prices for private and business customers within the limits set out in the Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act. The latest price rise means this process will now be completed.
Tallinna Vesi said it is to introduce pollution load-based wastewater pricing this year: charges will depend on wastewater pollution levels, meaning heavier polluters will pay more. The company says it continuously monitors wastewater quality entering the public sewer system.
AS Tallinna Vesi serves over 500,000 end consumers in Tallinn and the surrounding municipalities.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mirjam Mäekivi
