A price surge could be in the pipeline for water and sewerage costs. Our consumer expert looks at ways we can save
WORDS: SUE HAYWARD
THIS MONTH – RISING PRICES
Water bills across England and Wales went up by around 6% in April – that’s an average of £27 a year, with the average annual household bill now £473.
However with the recent news that the levels of raw sewage being dumped into our waterways more than doubled in 2023, water bills may be set to rise higher still to cover the cost of fixing this.
During an excessively wet period last year, the water system was overwhelmed and to prevent sewage backing up and flowing into people’s homes, it spilled out into the waterways.
Now the boss of Thames Water has said water bills may need to rise by a whopping 40% by 2030 to cover the cost of necessary improvements.
Cash-strapped households already struggling with rising costs on everything from food to utility bills and council tax will be left wondering why water companies can’t spend some of their profits on ensuring sewage doesn’t end up in our rivers and seas.
As you might expect, water companies have faced criticism over their profits, which benefit shareholders. So what can you do? Unlike with other services such as energy or broadband, where you can consider switching to save money, when it comes to water, you’re stuck with the supplier in your area.
So short of moving house to another area (which is a bit drastic) you can’t change suppliers.
There are two ways households can pay for water – either via a water meter, which means you pay for every drop used, or through the water rates system, where you pay a flat fixed rate regardless of how much water you use.
Remember, none of this applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where water companies were not privatised, and therefore householders do not pay separate water bills.
In England and Wales, as a rough rule of thumb, if there are more bedrooms than people in your home (or the same number) you may be able to save money using a water meter.
You can use this free water calculator to give you an idea of how much you could save.
www.ccw.org.uk/save-money-and-water/water-meter-calculator
WAYS TO SAVE ON WATER BILLS
If you’re on a water meter, you can save money by using less wa
