Financial guru Martin Lewis has explained how householders can beat an increase in water bills due to take effect from April.
Water bills, which include the cost of sewage, will go up from £417 a year to £448 on average - up by 7.8%. Some people will pay more than this - in the worst cases, prices will rise by more than 12% - as water bill rates depend on where you live.
But there are ways to lower your costs. MoneySavingExpert founder Martin explained how some households might benefit from having a water meter, reports The Mirror.
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If you have a water meter installed, you only pay for the water you actually use - without one, your bills are estimated by the size of your home. Most water providers in England and Wales offer free water meters for their customers. But they don’t always work out cheaper.
If you have more or the same number of bedrooms in your house than people, then it is worth seeing if you’d benefit from one. The Consumer Council for Water has a free water meter calculator that tells you if you could save cash.
Using the example of two people living in a three bedroom house, Martin said during his Martin Lewis Money Show Live: "Water bills are based on the rateable value, which is a proxy for the house value. So be a big bill, but we use less, you know I don't use much water... so we would likely save on a water meter."
One viewer, known as Deborah, revealed how she had saved £400 a year by installing a water meter. She said: "Took your advice on water bills. Last year we paid £717.00 so we opted for the two year trial to have a meter.
"Chuffed to bits with our first bill of £121, with an average saving of £400. We have since shared this with our family and friends and three have changed to water meter as well."
Martin replied: "I presume that is a six monthly bill at £121 so it's £242 over the year, but these are substantial savings."
The consumer champion also recommended that people on benefits, those struggling with disabilities or others who have medical conditions should speak to their water firm to see if they can be swapped to a cheaper tariff.
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