Student bills in Birmingham: energy, water and council tax

• ✓Ofgem's postcode lookup puts central Birmingham postcodes, including B4, B5, B15 and B29, in the West Midlands region.
• ✓Direct Debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026: electricity 25.60p per kWh with a 57.23p daily standing charge, and gas 7.90p per kWh with a 29.71p daily standing charge.
• ✓Prepayment meter: electricity 24.82p per kWh with a 57.23p daily standing charge, and gas 7.64p per kWh with a 29.71p daily standing charge.
• ✓Ofgem says the cap limits these rates, not the total bill: the more energy you use, the higher your bill. A fixed tariff follows its own rates instead.
• ✓Electricity rates are for single-rate meters. Multi-rate tariffs such as Economy 7 have their own capped rates on Ofgem's page.

Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Ofgem's typical consumption is 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year. At the West Midlands Direct Debit rates, with a standing charge for all 365 days, that is about £1,708 a year: £849 for electricity and £859 for gas.
• ✓Shared by three: about £569 each a year, or £47.44 a month.
• ✓Shared by four: about £427 each a year, or £35.58 a month.
• ✓Shared by five: about £342 each a year, or £28.46 a month.
• ✓The same usage on a prepayment meter comes to about £1,664 a year at the West Midlands prepayment rates.
• ✓These figures assume a default tariff, single-rate electricity and a full year at the October to December 2026 rates, although Ofgem sets the cap every 3 months. A house of three to five adults usually uses more than one typical household, so treat them as a starting point, not a forecast.

Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: typical domestic consumption values decision, May 2026 (PDF) (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Severn Trent says its region runs from the Bristol Channel to the Humber and from the Welsh border to the East Midlands, and that it both supplies water and takes it away to be treated.
• ✓South Staffs Water lists Sutton Coldfield, Erdington and Great Barr among its water quality zones, so parts of north Birmingham get their water from South Staffs Water.
• ✓Severn Trent suggests naming every housemate on the bill, so you can all discuss the account with it and see the bills online.
• ✓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.
• ✓Water UK's postcode checker names the water and the waste water company for an exact address. CCW says a few specific sites are served by another licensed company instead of the usual one.

Sources: Severn Trent: our supply area (read 13 October 2026); South Staffs Water: water quality zones (read 13 October 2026); Severn Trent: students (read 13 October 2026); Water UK: find your supplier (read 13 October 2026); Citizens Advice: paying your water bills if you're renting (read 13 October 2026); CCW: find your water company (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓GOV.UK says households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay council tax, and that you can apply for an exemption if you get a bill. To count, a course must last at least 1 year and involve at least 21 hours of study a week.
• ✓If someone in the household is not a full-time student, GOV.UK says you will get a bill but might still qualify for a discount: 25% off if everyone else in the home is disregarded, as full-time students are.
• ✓Birmingham City Council says full-time students living only with other full-time students, or alone, do not pay. With one adult who is not a full-time student, the household gets 25% off; with two or more, no discount or exemption applies.
• ✓Aston University, Birmingham City University, Coventry University, University College Birmingham and the University of Birmingham send it student lists every 2 weeks. Students elsewhere need a student certificate, or a letter from their college or university confirming their period of study.

Sources: Birmingham City Council: apply for a student Council Tax discount or exemption (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: Council Tax discounts for full-time students (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: who has to pay Council Tax (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Broadband: one contract for the house is usual. Agree whose name it goes in, and match the minimum term to the tenancy so nobody pays after the house moves out.
• ✓TV Licence: GOV.UK says one licence covers the household if you have a joint tenancy agreement, but with separate tenancy agreements anyone who watches TV in their own room needs their own. A licence costs £180.
• ✓Empty weeks: Ofgem says a standing charge is paid every day, even when you use no energy. At the West Midlands Direct Debit rates, electricity and gas standing charges come to 86.94p a day, about £18.26 over a 21-day Christmas break before any energy is used.

Sources: GOV.UK: TV Licence (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)