Who owns Business Stream?
Business Stream is owned by Scottish Water, Scotland's publicly owned water utility. The licensed retailer is Scottish Water Business Stream Limited (company number SC294924), held through Scottish Water Business Stream Holdings Limited and reported as one of three trading segments in Scottish Water's group accounts. It operates at arm's length with its own board: Deirdre Michie OBE, who is also Chair of Scottish Water, chairs the board, and Johanna Dow is Chief Executive.
What are Business Stream's deemed or out-of-contract water rates?
Business Stream publishes its default and out-of-contract charges on the Our Charges page of its website, with separate charges statements for Scotland, the Yorkshire region, the Southern region and other English wholesaler areas, refreshed for each charging year. Because these rates change annually, always check the current year's published document, linked from this page, rather than relying on republished figures. Customers without a negotiated contract are billed on these published default tariffs until they agree a contract or switch.
Can Business Stream supply my region?
Business Stream can supply eligible business premises anywhere in Scotland or England, as it holds retail licences in both markets. It has been Scotland's incumbent business water retailer since the market opened in April 2008, acquired Southern Water's non-household customer base ahead of the April 2017 English market opening, and took on the Yorkshire Water Business Services base from 1 October 2019. Its largest customer concentrations are therefore in Scotland and the Southern and Yorkshire wholesale regions.
How do I contact Business Stream?
You can call Business Stream on 0330 123 2000, the customer support number published on its contact pages. The website also provides a send-us-a-message form, a published complaints procedure and the My Business Stream online portal for billing, meter readings and account management. The site has a dedicated emergencies section for supply problems, and large customers are supported by dedicated account managers and a Key Accounts team.
Is Business Stream suited to multi-site businesses?
Yes, Business Stream actively serves multi-site customers with consolidated billing that brings every site into a single monthly statement, with breakdowns available in EDI Tradacoms, XLS and CSV formats issued within five working days of month end. Larger customers receive a dedicated account manager and access to a Key Accounts team. Its published case studies include national operators such as Morrisons, which receives one consolidated bill covering water, waste water and trade effluent across its estate.
What happens if Business Stream exits the market?
Customers would transfer to another licensed retailer under the markets' last-resort arrangements, and physical water supply would continue because regional wholesalers operate the network. In England, Ofwat directs the market operator MOSL to reallocate a failed retailer's supply points to other licensed retailers through the interim supply process; Scotland has equivalent arrangements overseen by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland. Exit risk looks low relative to most retailers: Business Stream is owned by publicly owned Scottish Water and reported £708 million segment revenue and £135 million net assets in 2024/25.
How big is Business Stream?
Business Stream is one of the largest water retailers in the UK, serving over 300,000 business customers and retaining around 20 per cent of the UK water retail market according to Scottish Water's 2024/25 annual report. AquaSwitch's read of the March 2026 MOSL dashboard reports 393,686 English supply points (SPIDs), and the segment reported £708 million revenue in 2024/25. Trade press ranked it the second largest UK retailer by supply points after its October 2019 Yorkshire acquisition.
Is Business Stream the same as Scottish Water?
No, they are separate companies with different roles. Scottish Water is the publicly owned wholesaler that owns and operates Scotland's water and waste water network, while Business Stream (Scottish Water Business Stream Limited) is its retail subsidiary, which bills business customers and competes against other licensed retailers in Scotland and England. The two are kept at arm's length: Business Stream has its own board, and Scottish Water's group risk management system excludes Business Stream's operational risk under the Water Services (Governance Code) Directions 2013.
