A whole stack of household bills are going up this month, including water bills, council tax, energy, mobile and broadband, car tax as well as the cost of your TV licence.
While you can switch and save with some, such as energy, when it comes to water, you’re stuck with the supplier in your area. That’s unless you’re thinking of moving house and out of the area!
Water bills are going up by an average of around £130 this year, which is around £10 a month, but despite the price hike, there’s still ways to save on your water bill.
Switch to a water meter to save money
If you’re on the ‘water rates’ system, which means paying a fixed amount for your water, (based on the size of your home and where you live), you may be able to save money switching to a meter.
However unlike the water rates system, with a meter, you will pay for every drop you use.
Switching to a water meter is free – just ask your water company. And if you don’t save money this way, you can ask to switch back free of charge.
As a rough guide, if you’ve got more bedrooms than people living in your home, (or the same number), you may be able to save money switching to a meter. And you can use this handy free calculator to help you work out if it’s worth switching.
Worth knowing you can only ‘switch back’ once, so you can’t keep chopping and changing from water rates to a meter. And if you do want to revert back to a meter, you usually need to do this within a certain time frame. This varies between suppliers, but it’s typically between one to two years.
Ask to have your water bills capped
If you claim certain benefits, such as Universal Credit, have a water meter, and need to use lots of water for medical reasons, or because you have a large family, you can apply to have your water bills capped under the WaterSure scheme. Contact your supplier to ask about this.
If you are struggling to pay your water bill, suppliers can also help with discounted water bills, payment breaks, grants and repayment plans. So once again really worth asking your supplier about this.
Free water saving devices
You can usually get free water saving devices from your water company. What you can get varies according to your supplier, but the list often includes shower timers, eco friendly shower heads and bags to pop in your toilet cistern that help save water when you flush.
Totally free, although there may be a limit to the number of freebies you can have.
Quick water saving tips
These won’t save a fortune overnight, but every drop adds up, (if you’re on a meter), so worth getting any dripping taps or showers fixed, as this can help save money.
Avoiding cleaning your teeth or doing the washing up under a running tap will also help save money, as will waiting till there’s a full load in the washing machine or dishwasher.
Check your bill
Worth checking your bill. If you’re on a meter, most suppliers will usually read your meter every six months, but you can check readings regularly yourself. Most water companies have a guide on how to do this on their website.
And if you think you’re paying too much, speak to your supplier, who can check your meter or give you a breakdown of charges.