MILLIONS of households are looking for ways to save cash after the price of energy shot up this month.
The energy price guarantee means the average households’ bills are expected to reach on average £2,500 a year from £1,971 before.
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But there are ways to cut back on costs and save money.
TikTok saver Krish Kara has shared one handy tip to save you money on your energy bill – and all it involves is using less water.
Talking in a video to his over 76,000 followers, Krish explained how you can get a free regulated shower head to help you reduce your water usage and energy bill.
He said: “Over one million water saving devices are up for grabs.
“Head over to savewatersavemoney.co.uk, enter your postcode to see if you qualify for a free water saving gadget.
“A family of four can save £120 on their water bill, and £75 on gas by switching from an inefficient shower head to an efficient shower head.”
Savemoneysavewater.co.uk gathers all the freebies you can get from water companies around the country, including £20 regulated shower heads that you can get for free.
The Energy Saving Trust says switching to a water efficient shower head reduces hot water usage and could save a family of four on a water meter a total of £195 on their water and energy bills.
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This is because less energy is needed to pump, heat and treat the water.
Obviously how much you’ll save will depend on your water usage – if you’re a big family that uses plenty of hot water, you’ll save more.
How to claim a free shower head
You will need to visit the Save Money Save Water website where you can fill in a short survey about your water usage.
It will ask questions like how many people live in your home, how many showers you take a week as a household and if you water your garden.
After filling out the survey, you will be redirected to your water supplier’s website to claim the freebie.
One key thing to note is that you might not be able to get a free shower head if you live in a certain area as not all water companies offer them.
Anglian, Essex & Suffolk, Northumbrian or Thames Water aren’t part of Save Water Save Money’s promotion.
That said, you can sometimes get the freebies if you go direct to water companies’ websites.
You can also get other water saving devices for free, like buffalo bags, which save around one to two litres of water with every flush.
What is an eco shower head and how do they work?
A regulated shower head uses more water more efficiently reducing it to between seven or eight litres per minute, where a normal shower head has a 15 litres per minute flow rate.
Which? says that there’s a simple test to work out how much your current shower head uses, and if you can benefit from an eco one.
Put a 2-litre container on the shower floor and if it takes less than 12 seconds to fill when the shower is running on full, that’s the equivalent of it putting out 10 litres every minute.
If that’s the case, you could benefit from a low-flow or water-saving shower head, it says.
The shower heads look just like any other you might pick up from your local DIY store and they work with a standard hose, combi boliers and gravity showers that have a pump fitted.
You won’t be able to use it if you have and electric or digital shower though and you musty have at least 0.5 bar water pressure.
Electric and digital showers may have eco modes though, so it’s worth checking your instruction manual.
How to get help with your energy bills
If you’re looking for help with your bills in other ways – there are a number of options available to you.
The £400 energy rebate is being paid out to millions of households this winter.
The payment is being split into six instalments – £66 will be paid this month and in November and £67 will be paid from December through to March next year.
How you’ll receive the £400 will depend on how you pay for your bills.
For more information, you can read our guide.
As well as this, millions of pensioners who usually get the Winter Fuel Allowance will receive £300 on top from November.
Some households are set to get a £150 Warm Home Discount between December and March 2023 as well.
Plus, you might also be able to get an energy grant from your supplier.
British Gas is offering one, as well as Bulb Energy, EDF, E.on, Octopus Energy, Ovo Energy and Scottish Power.
And always remember, you can get free debt advice through a number of different services, including:
