Student bills by city: energy, water and council tax
Short answer
Student bills vary by city. Energy cap rates follow Ofgem's regions: across these 20 cities, the Direct Debit electricity standing charge runs from 42.92p a day in London to 67.66p in Liverpool. Water depends on the local company, and in Scotland full-time students are exempt. A house of full-time students pays no council tax in any of them.
Updated
20
university cities, each with its own page
42.92p
a day, lowest electricity standing charge here: London
Direct Debit, Oct to Dec 2026
67.66p
a day, highest: Liverpool
Direct Debit, Oct to Dec 2026
One page for each of 20 university cities in England, Wales and Scotland, with the city's energy cap region and rates, its water company, how its council handles the student exemption and what a house would pay for energy at typical use.
Energy region and water company in 20 student cities
| City | Energy region and Direct Debit electricity standing charge | Water company |
|---|---|---|
| London | London, 42.92p a day | Thames Water, with Affinity Water or SES Water in some areas |
| Manchester | North West England, 45.68p a day | United Utilities |
| Birmingham | West Midlands, 57.23p a day | Severn Trent, with South Staffs Water in some northern areas |
| Leeds | Yorkshire, 61.67p a day | Yorkshire Water |
| Sheffield | Yorkshire, 61.67p a day | Yorkshire Water |
| Nottingham | East Midlands, 51.45p a day | Severn Trent |
| Liverpool | Merseyside and North Wales, 67.66p a day | United Utilities |
| Bristol | South West England, 55.58p a day | Bristol Water, with Wessex Water for sewerage |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | North East England, 61.58p a day | Northumbrian Water |
| Leicester | East Midlands, 51.45p a day | Severn Trent |
| Coventry | East Midlands, 51.45p a day | Severn Trent |
| Southampton | Southern England, 47.81p a day | Southern Water |
| Cardiff | South Wales, 55.41p a day | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water |
| Swansea | South Wales, 55.41p a day | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water |
| Glasgow | South Scotland, 61.41p a day | Scottish Water, charged with council tax |
| Edinburgh | South Scotland, 61.41p a day | Scottish Water, charged with council tax |
| York | North East England, 61.58p a day | Yorkshire Water |
| Exeter | South West England, 55.58p a day | South West Water |
| Brighton and Hove | South East England, 52.32p a day | Southern Water |
| Oxford | Southern England, 47.81p a day | Thames Water |
How are these city pages built?
From the regulator's, the councils' and the water companies' own pages, read on 13 October 2026.
- Energy: each city's region comes from Ofgem's postcode lookup, which Ofgem builds from the electricity network's licence area boundaries, and its rates from Ofgem's regional tables for 1 October to 31 December 2026.
- Costs: each page prices Ofgem's typical usage for one household at the city's Direct Debit cap rates and divides it between three, four and five sharers. These are illustrations, not quotes, and a shared house usually uses more.
- Water: each city's company comes from the company's own pages and CCW's list of water companies. Water UK's postcode checker confirms an exact address.
- Council tax: each page names the council that collects it, sets out the national student rule from GOV.UK, the Welsh Government or mygov.scot, and adds the council's own claim process where its page states one.
Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026); CCW: find your water company (read 13 October 2026)
Why do energy rates differ between cities?
Because Ofgem sets the price cap separately for each of Great Britain's 14 electricity distribution regions.
- Ofgem says the standing charge depends on where you live, and is calculated from how many people live in the region, how much energy the region uses on average, the energy the supplier needs to buy and the cost of building and improving the network.
- Across these 20 cities, the Direct Debit electricity standing charge for 1 October to 31 December 2026 runs from 42.92p a day in London to 67.66p in Liverpool.
- The region follows the electricity network, not the county: Ofgem's lookup puts York in the North East England region and Coventry in the East Midlands region.
- Each city page lists the region's unit rates and standing charges for Direct Debit and prepayment, and links the region's full page.
Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026)
Do students pay water and council tax in every city?
Council tax treats an all-student house the same way across Great Britain. Water does not.
- England: GOV.UK says households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay council tax. With one adult who is not, the household gets a bill but might still qualify for a discount.
- Wales: the Welsh Government says a home occupied only by full-time students is exempt, and the term-time address counts as the main residence through the holidays.
- Scotland: mygov.scot says you do not pay council tax if everyone in your household is a full-time student.
- In England and Wales, students usually pay for water unless it is included in the rent. Citizens Advice says a tenant either has a water bill in their own name or pays for water as part of the rent, so check the tenancy agreement.
- In Scotland, Scottish Water says full-time students are exempt from household water and waste water charges, which councils collect with council tax.
Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax discounts for full-time students (read 13 October 2026); Welsh Government: Council Tax discounts, disregards, exemptions and reductions (read 13 October 2026); mygov.scot: Council Tax discounts, exemptions and reductions (read 13 October 2026); Citizens Advice: paying your water bills if you're renting (read 13 October 2026); Scottish Water: your charges 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026)
Questions about student bills in different cities
Which student city has the lowest energy standing charge?
Among these 20 cities, London has the lowest Direct Debit electricity standing charge for 1 October to 31 December 2026, 42.92p a day, and Liverpool the highest, 67.66p. Electricity unit rates run from 25.36p to 27.86p per kWh. Each city page shows both fuels and an illustration of a house's energy cost.
Do students pay council tax in a shared house?
Not if everyone in the house is a full-time student: GOV.UK, the Welsh Government and mygov.scot all say so. You still have to claim the exemption from the council. If one housemate is not a full-time student, the household gets a bill, though often with a 25% discount.
Do students have to pay water bills?
In England and Wales, usually yes: the house pays the local water company unless water is in the rent, and Welsh Water and Bristol Water, for example, offer no student discount. In Scotland, Scottish Water says full-time students are exempt from household water and waste water charges.
Why are energy prices different from city to city?
Because Ofgem sets the price cap separately for each of Great Britain's 14 electricity distribution regions. It says the standing charge reflects how many people live in a region, how much energy the region uses, the energy suppliers need to buy and the cost of the network. The region follows the network, not the county.
Are these the bills our house will actually pay?
No, they are illustrations. Each city page prices Ofgem's typical usage for one household at that city's cap rates, and a house of three to five adults usually uses more. Your own bills depend on your meter, tariff, usage and the deals you choose, so check them against your first bills.
Work out your own house's numbers
Averages, fair splits and the energy cap rates for every region the cities sit in.
Start here
Average bills in a house share
RecommendedOfficial averages per person for 2, 3, 4 and 5 sharers.
Split bills fairly with housemates
Fair rules for rent, fixed costs and usage, with a per-person calculator.
Taupia for student houses
How a student house sets up and splits its bills in one place.
UK energy price cap: rates, history and the next cap
The national cap, the rates behind it and when Ofgem next changes it.
London cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers London, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
North West England cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Manchester, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
West Midlands cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Birmingham, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
Yorkshire cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Leeds and Sheffield, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
East Midlands cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Nottingham, Leicester and Coventry, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
Merseyside and North Wales cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Liverpool, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
South West England cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Bristol and Exeter, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
North East England cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Newcastle upon Tyne and York, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
Southern England cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Southampton and Oxford, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
South Wales cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Cardiff and Swansea, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
South Scotland cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Glasgow and Edinburgh, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
South East England cap rates
Unit rates and standing charges for every way of paying in the region that covers Brighton and Hove, 1 October to 31 December 2026.
Whichever city, keep the house's bills in one place
Taupia monitors the house's bills, compares and switches energy, broadband and mobile once the household approves, and splits each bill and tracks who has paid. It moves no money, does not set up council tax or switch water, and it is free.