A Martin Lewis fan has explained how she got a £950 refund on her bills that she didn't know she was entitled to.
The latest edition of the Money Saving Expert newsletter shared Sophie's story after she took their advice on how to check if you could get cheaper water bills, The Mirror reports.
Water UK, the trade body for water companies, recently announced that from April this year the average water bill will increase by 7.5 per cent in England and Wales, and by 5 per cent in Scotland. Sophie wrote to the team to tell them she had read the previous week's note about the water bill hikes.
READ MORE: 'I followed Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis' advice and cut bill for everyday appliance in half'
The Money Saving Expert advice stated that you could get cheaper bills by having a water meter installed. The team advised people who had been told they couldn't have a water meter installed to ask for an "assessed charged bill". This works out how much you'd likely pay if you were on a meter.
Water meters can help you reduce your water bill as you only pay for the water you use, rather than a fixed price. It could make your bills higher, but sometimes it can be a lot less, and if it is, Martin Lewis' advice is to switch over to it.
Sophie was going to follow this advice as she didn't know about the "assessed charge" however, this was when she found out there was a mistake with her water bill. She wrote: "We can't have a water meter, but I didn't know about the assessed charge. After contacting my water company, it discovered a mistake in the numbers used on our bill, which has now been reduced."
She explained that she has now been given a backdated refund of £950 on previous miscalculated bills.
The water bills hike from April is set to be the largest increase to water bills in almost 20 years. The average bill will rise to an average £448 a year.
Water UK said the 7.5 per cent increase would see customers pay around £1.23 per day on average – an increase of 8p per day or an average £31 more on last year’s charges.
Water meters often help if there are not many people using water in your home, so if you live alone, in a couple or have a small family. Bigger households tend to pay more on a water meter. The best way to find out if it is right for you is to use a water meter calculator, which can be easily found online.
You will then need to share who is your water company and details about your water usage such as how many people are in your household, the number of baths and showers you have a week, and how many times the toilet is flushed a day.
You will also have to detail how many times you use the washing machine and dishwasher if you have one, and how long you use the garden hose per year. After sharing this it will calculate and tell you the right option for you.
You should also be aware that if you voluntarily go onto a water meter, with most firms, you've got two years to change your mind and go back.
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