Leaky toilet could be doubling water bill – Woman saved £432 a year
Martin Lewis explains how to save money on your water bills
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Hannah Holloway-Vine was grateful to have received a letter from her water company prompting her to check for leaks. She managed to cut her water bill in half after following the “simple steps” in the letter.
It saved her from potentially paying out hundreds of pounds caused by a leaky toilet.
She was contacted by Anglian Water in December 2021 after her latest water meter reading showed her water usage had significantly increased.
Ms Holloway-Vine said: “I thought my toilet had a bit of a trickle but I hadn’t realised how much additional water this was using up.
“I was really worried that my next bill would be almost unpayable as the new reading showed my monthly water bill would more than double, from £33 to £69 per month.”
The letter prompted Hannah to contact her landlord to see if a plumber could come and take a look, who quickly spotted a leak in the push-button toilet.
But in the case of Ms Holloway-Vine’s toilet, a leak on the valve meant it was constantly trying to top itself up.
Ms Holloway-Vine added: “As soon as the leak was fixed I called Anglian Water who were really helpful and reduced my monthly payments back to the original amount there and then.
“They even gave me a refund to cover the cost of extra water the leak had caused me to use.
“I am grateful to all at Anglian Water for handling the situation so quickly for me.”
These steps could save each of its customers up to £246 a year off their water bills, as well as help the environment by saving precious water resources, particularly as the region remains in drought conditions despite recent rainfall.
Three simple steps to check if one has a leaky toilet:
- Wipe the back of the bowl with toilet paper so it’s dry – don’t flush
- After 30 minutes, place a new, dry sheet of tissue across the back of the bowl
- Come back in a few hours. If the paper’s wet or torn, the toilet is leaky leaking
On average, a leaky toilet wastes between 215 and 400 litres of clean drinking water every day and is equivalent to having a couple of extra people in the home using water, according to WaterWise.
That’s up to an average of an extra £246 a year on a metered water bill that could be saved by getting the leak fixed.
Pete Holland, Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Wholesale Services said: “Having a water meter remains the best way of keeping bills affordable as customers only pay for what they use.
“But leaks in the home means water, and money, down the drain. We know this year is going to be tough for our customers, as the cost of living increases for us all.
“Although pipes inside the property are the responsibility of the homeowner, we’re here for our customers if they need support.
“Once a leak in the home is fixed, we’ll also give money back to cover the costs of the excess water used as a result of the leak through our leakage allowance.”
Anglian Water announced its largest-ever support package for customers last month.
Research by Anglian Water has found that a total of £49million is lost by households across the East of England due to fixable leaky toilets.
Furthermore, the average household could save £246 a year on bills by fixing a leaking toilet.
The findings show, on average, a leaking toilet wastes between 215 and 400 litres of clean drinking water everyday.
The £135million package will support customers struggling with the cost of living throughout 2023.
The package will help an estimated 330,000 customers over the next year with discounted tariffs on water bills of up to 50 percent for eligible customers.
Customers can also benefit from temporary payment plans, forgiveness schemes and payment breaks in certain circumstances.
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