SHOWERING at a different time of day could save you money on your water and energy bills.
Households on a time-sensitive energy tariff can cut their costs by waiting a few hours to have a wash.
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Families are searching for ways to reduce spending on gas and electricity bills as costs have soared.
Almost £700 was added to the average annual energy bill on Friday when the price cap rose 54%.
If you’re looking for ways to cut back on your bills – including your water costs – there are some tweaks you can make.
You could reduce costs by switching to an Economy 7 tariff, which charges less for energy used at night.
But you could up spending more if you use a lot of energy in the day time, so keep an eye on your usage if you decide to switch.
Bear in mind that leaving appliances on at night can be a fire hazard.
That warning doesn’t apply to showers but it is something to take note of when it comes other electronics.
We’ve also rounded up tricks to save money on your water bills so you can save the maximum amount of money on your shower.
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How much does it cost to have a shower?
Taking a 10 minute shower uses 1.42kWh of electricity, costing someone on a standard variable tariff around 40p a go.
If you did this every day it would cost you £146 a year, the Uswitch calculations showed.
That’s based on an 8.5KW electric shower and a unit rate of 28p.
But if you have an Economy 7 tariff, it will be cheaper in the evenings.
According to Uswitch, a ten minute shower on a time-sensitive tariff would cost just 27p – 23p cheaper than the price cap.
That’s based on the Economy 7 night rate for each unit being set at 19p.
What is the cheapest time to have a shower?
The data from the switching website showed that you could save £47.45 a year if you had an Economy 7 meter and only showered at times with cheaper energy.
This will usually be for seven hours somewhere between 10pm and 8am, but will vary between suppliers.
However, showering in the day time would actually be more expensive than if you just had a normal meter.
It would cost 42p for a 10 minute shower rather than 40p.
So if you get one, you have to make sure it won’t actually push up your bills.
The actual price will vary depending on your supplier, where you live and the type of shower you have.
How can I save money on my water bills?
The average water bill will jump £7 to £419 this month, but the price increase differs across the country.
Some areas will see a rise of up to £36 a year, a Sun investigation found.
You could save even more money by using less water if you switch to a water meter.
Reducing the amount of water you use should also bring your energy bills down, whether you have a meter or not.
If you’ve got more or the same number of bedrooms as people in your home, switching to a meter could save you money.
For example, if you’re a single person living in a three-bed property, you might benefit from switching.
That’s because it’s likely that you’ll be using less water than your utility company expects from a home of that size.
According to Martin Lewis, switching could save you up to £500 a year and we spoke to one woman who halved her water bill.
But for larger households a meter could actually cost you more.
You can check online to see if a water meter would help you save money.
Once you’ve got a water meter there are steps you can take to keep your bills low.
For example, a low-flow showerhead cuts water use without impacting the pressure.
It can save you £65 a year on water use – and some suppliers even give them out for free.
However, they aren’t compatible with electric showers.
Reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower is another way to save money.
Most of us spend around seven minutes in the shower, but shortening that by just one minute could save you £60 on water bills and a further £60 on energy.
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