Households across England and Wales are bracing for another increase in water bills, with an average rise of 5.4 per cent set to take effect from April.
This latest hike, confirmed by regulator Ofwat at the end of January, will add an average of £33 to annual household costs.
It follows a substantial 20 per cent increase last year, which saw bills climb by an average of £86 per household.
The impending rise in water charges comes amidst a wider landscape of escalating household expenses, placing further strain on personal finances.
Unlike other essential services, consumers have no recourse to seek out a more affordable provider, according to household finance expert Greg Marsh, CEO of Nous.co.
"Unfortunately, unlike mobile phone providers or broadband or energy providers, there’s nothing you can do to shop around for a cheaper supplier," Marsh explained.
He added, "Your water supplier is your water supplier, and it’s a postcode lottery."
While consumers might routinely switch energy providers to secure better deals, the same strategy simply doesn't apply to water, leaving many wondering what options, if any, exist to mitigate these rising costs.
Install a smart meter
If you haven’t already installed a water meter, Marsh strongly urges you to consider getting one by contacting your supplier.
“Why would you want to do that? You might think, well, I don’t want them to know exactly how much I’m using,” says Marsh. “But if your house has more bedrooms than people, get a smart meter – you’ll probably save money.”
According to the government’s Environment Agency, only 12 per cent of homes in England have smart water meters installed.
Marsh adds: “The other benefit of having a smart meter is you’ll know you’re paying for exactly what you consume, which in turn means if you do want to cut down your water bills by, for instance, having smaller baths or being thoughtful about what settings you have for your washing machine, then it means you’ll benefit from those economies.”
See if you qualify for help
Anyone who is on benefits or earning under a certain amount “may be able to access a social tariff from their current supplier, and that can cap or reduce your bill by as much as 90 per cent if you’re on a really low income”, says Marsh.
He says it’s “definitely worth speaking to your supplier” to see if you might qualify, as each company has a slightly different set of criteria.
For example, Thames Water has the WaterHelp scheme. Those whose bill is more than 5 per cent of their net income are eligible (this is also dependent on the number of occupants in your household), and could get a 50 per cent discount on their water bill.
For Northumbrian Water, you are eligible if you have a total household income of £30,000, and your annual water and sewerage bill is more than 4 per cent of your net household income (after housing costs, rent or mortgage payments), or if someone in your household receives Pension Credit, and your annual water and sewerage bill is 4 per cent or more of your net household income.
Those eligible could see their water bills reduced by up to 50 per cent.
Similarly, Southern Water has multiple schemes available for those struggling with their bills – check online to see what might work for you.
Ultimately, Nicky Chitty, the affordability and vulnerability lead at Southern Water, says: “There’s lots that we can help people with. My main message for somebody that needs some support is just reach out to whoever their supplier is. There will be support there for them.”
Reduce water usage
Particularly if you’re on a smart meter, reducing your water usage is the “obvious answer” for getting bills down, says Marsh, even if “it’s not always the fun answer”.
According to Daniel Lintell, sustainability manager at Triton Showers, “Small behaviour changes” can have a huge impact, because “every drop makes a difference”.
“Showering accounts for probably a quarter of a typical household’s water usage,” he suggests. “So more efficient showering is going to reduce your water consumption – and one of the key additional benefits of reducing your water usage of showering is you’re going to bring down your energy costs quite considerably,” because you don’t need to heat up quite so much water.
While shorter showers will make a difference, there are also other things you can do, Lintell says – such as not running your shower for ages to ‘warm up’ before hopping in.
“You don’t need to run it for minutes and minutes and minutes – it’s wasted time, it’s wasted energy and it’s wasted water.”
He adds: “If you’ve got a mixer shower, consider pausing your shower whilst you’re shampooing. A lot of people get their hair wet, put the shampoo in, step away, and leave the shower running.”
You could also look at investing in a flow regulator to reduce the flow rate of your shower, thus using less water, with Lintell saying: “You probably will not notice the difference from an experience point of view.”
Outside of the shower, Lintell recommends using the eco mode on appliances like the dishwasher or washing machine.
“That’s what they’re there for. The engineers have spent years developing them, caring about every single drop, optimising it – so let the machine do the work for you.”
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