Martin Lewis has revealed countless Britons may be missing out on £160 in extra financial aid, as the cost of living crisis continues bite. In their latest Money Saving Expert newsletter, Martin's team detailed how six million people across the UK are missing out on the £160 payment to help out with water and utility bills.
Money Saving Expert estimates that most people pay hundreds of pounds every year for their water supply, while some even fork out thousands. And as water firms are privatised, meaning you can't chop and change like you can with energy, it seems as though there's no way to slash your bills.
However, the financial guru's team has accumulated a list of things you can do to help shave costs and spend less on the household essential we often took for granted before rife levels of inflation kicked in.
Read more: Warning to act now or lose out on a full state pension when you retire
The newsletter says that first and foremost, some people are entitled to a discount on their water supply - depending on their personal circumstances. For example, those claiming Universal Credit or have low income can hack into social tariffs and WaterSure to reduce their expenditure.
Social tariffs are offered by all water suppliers according to MSE, and they can reduce your utility bills by up to 90 per cent. There are also quite alarmingly some 5.7million eligible households missing out on the estimated £160 per year payment on average.
Those who have three or more children, or a medical condition like Crohn's or eczema can also see their bills capped under the WaterSure scheme. Citizen's Advice say of the scheme: "WaterSure is a scheme which helps some people with their water bills.
"To apply for the scheme, you must be on benefits and need to use a lot of water either for medical reasons or because your household has a certain number of school-age children. You also need to be on a water meter or be waiting to have one installed."
In order to qualify for WaterSure, you must:
- Be on a water meter or be on the waiting list to have one installed, or be paying an assessed charge as it's not available to be fit at your household
- Claim certain benefits - like Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit
- Have an essential high use of water
You can find out more about WaterSure, here.
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