MUM of five Karen Hudson has slashed her water bill in HALF simply by getting a water meter installed – and she saves hundreds of pounds each year.
Karen, 56, from South Gloucestershire, was paying £43 a month for her water, but her bills dramatically dropped to £24.50 after contacting her provider for a meter.
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“I was shocked by how much I was saving,” she said.
“We’re not on a huge amount of money because I have multiple sclerosis, which means I can’t work and we have to be quite frugal with money – any saving is an advantage.”
A water meter is a device that measures how much water you use.
Your supplier will use it to take more accurate readings to charge you your bill.
That’s because they won’t charge you based on your estimated usage – which is charged in line with the value of your home.
The average saving after getting a meter is £200 a year, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
The savings could come in handy, as water bills are set to rise by up to £36 a year from April.
But Karen was initially sceptical of getting one installed because she was worried that her bills might go up instead of down if she was using more water than she thought.
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However, after reading a tweet by Martin Lewis two years ago on how thousands of households could save money, she decided to give it a go.
“Martin said that you could save money if there’s less people in the house than bedrooms.
“He put my mind at rest that I would save money – as I was paying a lot for my water bill.”
As Karen’s kids are all grown adults and live away from home, there’s only two people – Karen and her husband – in their four bed family home.
Convinced she would save money, she visited her supplier’s website, Bristol Water, to apply for one.
She filled out an online form, after which Bristol Water got in touch with her to arrange a date to install the meter – she didn’t even have to be in at the time, as the meter is installed in the driveway.
After the water meter was installed, Karen was taken aback at the savings she was making over the year after her monthly direct debits were amended to reflect her water usage based on the meter readings.
Before, her bills racked up to £516, but now she pays £294 a year – a saving of £222.
“With energy bills going up, the saving we’re making on water bills comes in handy,” she said.
“I’m not panicking every time we’re turning the taps on.”
How to apply for a water meter
You can request a water meter free of charge from whoever is your water company, Citizens Advice says.
You can’t choose – or switch – suppliers, as different suppliers are responsible for distributing water to families in different areas of the country.
To find your water supplier, you can use Water UK’s online tool – all you need is your postcode.
But before you go ahead and ask your supplier to install one, use the online calculator on the CCW website to estimate if you could save money and whether its worth switching.
You’ll need information on how much water your household uses and how much you currently pay. – this information will be on previous bills.
Sometimes, you might not have a choice of whether or not you want a water meter put in.
That’s because water companies can make families install meters in areas where there is a water shortage.
Most water companies will let you trial a meter for up to two years and you can switch back for free if you’re unhappy.
And if for some reason you can’t get one installed, your water company may be able to put you on a cheaper tariff.
Your water meter should be installed within three months of you asking for it.
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