Water bills to rise by an average of 3.5% or £13 a year from 1st April, 2013
Average annual bill for water and sewerage will increase from £375 to £388
Households now cough up a record £1,740 a year on water, sewerage and energy bills alone.
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at Uswitch.com**, says:** “This hike in water prices is just the latest in a steady flow of price increases that are slowly draining household budgets dry. Consumers don’t know what has hit them, as they now face coughing up a staggering £1,740 a year on energy, water and sewerage bills alone.
“The relentless rise in the cost of household bills is leaving many consumers struggling to stay afloat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there will be a respite any time soon as, despite increasing their prices this winter, energy suppliers are warning of further price hikes this year. The squeeze on household budgets looks set to tighten.
“The fact is that when looking into cutting the cost of your household bills, a few simple steps can be enough to stop your hard-earned cash going down the drain. Although people don’t have the option of switching to a cheaper water supplier they can move to a water meter, which could save them £54 a year. As a rule of thumb, if there are more bedrooms than people in a household then a water meter could be the more cost effective option.”
Pros and cons of being on a water meter:
If you are on a meter, you only pay for what you use, which means that cutting back on the amount you use will save you money.
If you switch to a water meter and find that you are not saving money or are unhappy with the change, you can switch back to unmeasured charging within 12 months.
The general rule of thumb: if there are less people in your house than bedrooms (e.g. two people living in a four bedroom family home) then you could save money by switching to a water meter.
For larger families, being on a water meter may not be cost effective as your water consumption may be high. Customers living in compulsory metering areas will need support in regulating and reducing consumption.
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Uswitch is the UK’s top comparison website for home services switching. Launched in September 2000, we help consumers save money on their gas, electricity, broadband, mobile, TV, and financial services products and get more of what matters to them. Last year we saved consumers over £373 million on their energy bills alone.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a new business that also owns Money.co.uk and Bankrate.
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