Popular financial expert Martin Lewis has issued practical cash-saving advice to households with three or more bedrooms, insisting they could pocket as much as £500 a year. Speaking on the BBC Radio 5 Live Podcast with Adrian Chiles, the ITV star introduced what he called the “three-bedroom rule.” Lewis explained that if you live in England or Wales, you should consider whether a water meter is financially worthwhile by comparing the number of bedrooms in your home to the number of residents.
“Here’s Martin’s rule of thumb: if there are more bedrooms in your home than people, or the same number, check out getting a meter.” According to Lewis, many water companies base their assessed charges on the number of bedrooms rather than the actual number of occupants. This means that households with extra bedrooms might be paying a premium regardless of their lower water consumption. Instead of sticking with a flat, standard fee, installing a water meter can potentially lead to substantial savings.
