Martin Lewis fan ‘chuffed to bits’ after saving £400 on water bills
Martin Lewis: Tips to save money on water bills
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On tonight’s episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show, the founder of Money Saving Expert explained how people without a water meter could potentially lower their bill too. One woman, Debra, shared a tweet with the show explaining how she cut her bill by hundreds of pounds by switching to a meter.
Debra said: “We took your advice on water bills. Last year we paid £717.00 so we opted for the two year trial to have a meter.
“Chuffed to bits with our first bill of £121 (totalling £242 over the year), with an average saving of £400.
“We have since shared this with our family and friends and three have changed to a water meter as well.”
Water bills are set to get the biggest increase in almost 20 years from April.
The annual bill for an average household in England and Wales will hit £448, industry body Water UK has said.
The 7.5 percent increase means customers will pay on average £31 more than last year.
With the rise set to put a further strain on low income households, Martin explained the most important question for those without a meter to ask is ‘Do I have more rooms than people in the house?’.
If individuals have more rooms than people in their house, they could make “substantial savings,” if they move to a water meter.
Mr Lewis said: “That is a real substantial savings so its worth checking if there are more rooms than people in your home, and using the CCWater.org.uk.
He gave an example of a three bedroom house with only two people living in it.
Britons who do not have a water meter usually have their bills made up of:
- A fixed charge(or ‘standing charge’), which covers things like billing and customer service costs; and
- A charge based on the rateable value of their home.
Mr Lewis explained that because of the rateable value, those with less people in the house, are likely to use less water so they could save with a water meter.
Water companies can advise individuals if they will be able to save by switching so it’s important to contact them for more information.
Mr Lewis continued: “If that’s the same for you that there are more bedrooms than there are people, you’ve got two years to change back if you do it voluntarily.
“Use the consumer council for waters calculator. If they say you can’t fit a metre because it’s not practicable, then ask for an assess charge which should tell you roughly what you’d pay on a water metre if you had one. And if that’s cheaper, you can just pay the lower amount.
“If you’re disabled, or you have related medical issues such as Crohn’s disease – so you have to have a lot of showers or baths for example – or you’re on benefits, speak to your water firm.
“You may be able to get a cheaper money back or a cheaper tariff.”
The expert urged viewers to check on their water provider’s website to see what help is available to them.
He explained there are over one million free water saving gadgets.
It should be noted it is postcode dependent so eligibility will vary depending on where a person lives.
He added: “Savewatersavemoney.co.uk that you can get totally for free from your water firm. Cuts water and it cuts your energy use too because remember, much of the water that we use is heating.”
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