A new Flemish water bill came into effect as of 1 January 2016. The Government of Flanders has decided that all Flemish drinking water companies are required to apply the same method to calculate the water bill. This calculation applies to the 3 sections of the water bill (drinking water, disposal and treatment) and consists of: 

• a fixed charge with a discount per inhabitant
• a basic tariff for basic consumption 
• a comfort tariff for comfort consumption
   

What is meant by fixed charge, basic tariff and comfort tariff?

Via their water bill Flemish citizens pay for:

• the production and supply of their drinking water
• the disposal of their wastewater 
• the treatment of their wastewater

The fixed charge is a fixed fee per residential unit.

The new water bill features a basic tariff and a comfort tariff. Sparse use of water is rewarded. The two-tier tariff structure applies to the 3 sections of the water bill: drinking water, disposal of waste water and treatment of waste water.

• Flemish citizens pay the basic tariff for their basic consumption. This consumption amounts to 30 m³ per residential unit plus 30 m³ per resident per year.
• Flemish citizens pay the comfort tariff for all water consumed in excess of the basic consumption. The comfort tariff is twice the basic tariff.