MILLIONS of households will pay more for water starting next month – but there are ways to save.
The 7.5 per cent rise, which increases the average annual bill by £31 to £448, is the biggest in almost 20 years.
Millions of households will pay more for water from next month – but there are ways to saveCredit: Getty
While households cannot switch providers, making a few simple changes at home could save you hundreds of dollars. An average household uses about 349 liters of water every day – the equivalent of four and a half baths.
This week, Lynsey Hope shares ways to cut costs
color catcher
£3.50 for 40 sheets of Sainsbury’s
Save water by mixing all your laundry in one loadCredit: Peter Jordan
Simply place one of these laundry sheets in your machine when you are putting the laundry on and it will prevent color bleeding by trapping loose dye.
READ MORE MONEY SAVING TIPS
So you can mix all your laundry in one load.
Laica Dual Flo kettle
£69.99, OnBuy.com
No matter how much water you put in, you can set it to only boil “one cup”.
DAS only boils as much water as you need, saving energy and avoiding waste.
No matter how much water you put in, you can set it to only boil “one cup” and there’s a choice of amounts to suit the size of your mug.
Pepte toilet tank bench
€6.99 Amazon
This simple device will stop you from flushing money down the toilet
When you stick a tank bank in your toilet tank, you use less water.
If this is stuck inside, your toilet tank will not be able to fill up completely after each flush, saving you water and money.
It can hold up to two liters of water.
Low-energy instantaneous water heater
£3.19, Amazon
These increase water pressure but use less of it – and reportedly save up to £36 a year
TAP aerators mix air with water, increasing pressure while reducing the amount of water exiting.
They could save the average household up to £36 a year, according to Wessexwater.co.uk.
shower timer
$7.99 Amazon
Simply set the shower time as long or as short as you like
AVOID long showers — and using too much hot water — with a timer.
This digital device is water and steam resistant and easy to use.
Simply set the time as long or as short as you like.
Head Mira Nectar Eco
£36.73, screw mount
This shower head limits water consumption – and helps save on bills
THIS nifty shower head limits water flow to around six liters per minute, helping to cut down on bills.
It can take the pressure off, but you should hardly notice it after a few times.
Also features a rub-clean nozzle.
GET HELP WITH BILLS
STRUGGLE to pay your water bills? Check if you can save money by installing a meter.
If you are in debt or think you may default on your payments, contact your supplier.
You should have a system in place to help customers pay off outstanding debts.
Many providers also offer discounted rates for households in need.
If you receive benefits and consume large amounts of water for medical reasons or because you have a certain number of school-age children, you may qualify for WaterSure.
This scheme limits your costs to the average metered bill for your water utility’s area.
In some cases, your metered water bill may be below your provider’s cap – you’ll only be billed for the amount of water you use.
All suppliers offer WaterSure when either you or someone in your household receives one of the following: Universal Credit, Retirement Credit, Housing Benefit, Earnings-Contingent Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Earnings-Conditioned Employment and Assistance Allowance, Employment Tax Credit, or Child Tax Credit.
Apply for WaterSure by completing a paper form from your supplier.
Do you need a water meter?
According to the Water Consumers Council, the average household saves £200 a year by INSTALLING a water meter.
Before you rush to install one, figure out if a water meter is right for youCredit: Getty
It may come in handy if you don’t use much anyway.
And it might also be worth switching to a meter if your property has a high assessable value based on how much the property could be rented out.
A good rule of thumb is that if there are fewer people in your property than there are bedrooms, you could be paying less with a meter.
Use the calculator on the CCW website to work out how much you are likely to pay.
When you switch to a meter, the provider comes to read it.
Most water companies let you try a meter for up to two years, and you can switch it back for free if you’re not satisfied.
If the water company cannot install a meter and your water usage is limited, request a bill of charges.
This is usually worked out based on details like the size of your home and the number of people living in it.
AIR VOUCHER WARNING
By Ellie Smitherman
ALMOST 200,000 mortgage “prisoners” trapped in interest rates as high as 8.29 percent should be offered interest-free loans to free them, a new report says.
Borrowers were unable to switch mortgage deals and were stuck with expensive standard variable rates after lenders like Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley went bust in the last financial crisis.
The London School of Economics and Political Science calculated that the government made a £2.4 billion profit by selling the mortgages to unregulated lenders to offer new business to borrowers.
The report proposes a borrower support package that would cost Whitehall up to £347m over ten years.
The proposals include providing equity loans that would be interest-free for five years to help borrowers reduce the size of their mortgage debt and qualify for a cheaper interest rate with a new lender.
Borrowers should also receive free financial advice, it said.
MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis, who funded the research, urged ministers to act “quickly”.
He said: “This report makes it clear that the state sold these borrowers into poverty because it knew it could harm them and made billions in the process.
“The government has a moral and financial responsibility to mitigate some of the damage done.”
Flight Credits Warning
PASSENGERS are urged to “use or lose” flight credits issued during the pandemic.
British Airways owners IAG and easyJet said travelers still have £643million in vouchers to redeem.
Rocio Concha from Consumer Champions which? said: “Anyone with unused vouchers should check the expiry date and also confirm their airline’s terms and conditions in case the voucher goes unused – few airlines will give a cash refund in this case.”
Passengers who would have preferred cash instead could potentially still get it.
Ms Concha added: “If you have accepted a voucher after the airline canceled your flight but was not offered the option of a cash refund at the time, you can dispute this with the airline. If the airline is still unwilling to issue a refund, you should escalate your complaint to an alternative dispute resolution service if the airline is a member.”
Both airlines have extended expiry dates more than once.
EasyJet said its unused vouchers totaled £110m last September but the figure will now be far lower based on bookings made.
Expiration dates vary depending on when they were issued.
IAG, which owns five airlines including Aer Lingus and Iberia, said it has issued £533million in vouchers.
BA vouchers expire in September this year, but the airline is checking that date.
