Martin Lewis urges UK households to use ‘bedroom rule’ to avoid £123 bill hike | Personal Finance | Finance
Martin Lewis is urging UK households to follow a ‘bedroom rule’ to potentially save hundreds of pounds on water bills. The advice comes ahead of a major water bill hike from April 1, which will see most households in England and Wales face increased water and sewerage charges.
Water UK has said the national average water bills for the coming year are forecast to be £603 – a rise of £123 per year, or 26%, equating to around an extra £10 per month. Some regions will face higher rises than others, with Southern Water hiking bills by 47%, whereas Anglican Water and Northumbrian Water are only rising by 19%.
Regulator Ofwat has announced that further price rises are planned over the next five years, allowing water firms to increase average bills by £31 per year, or £157 in total, to £597 by 2030. The hikes are to help fund a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector and represent a 36% rise before inflation which will be added on top.
But Martin Lewis says households have the potential to save hundreds of pounds simply by following his “rule of thumb” regarding the number of bedrooms in your home.
According to the MoneySavingExpert (MSE) founder, if you have more bedrooms in your home than you do people – or the same number – then you “almost certainly should be using a water meter”, as this means you’ll only pay for what you use.
Speaking on his ITV Martin Lewis Money Show this week, Lewis explained: “So, the first question, do you have more or the same number of bedrooms in your home than people? If so, a free water meter is likely to cut your cost. Go onto ccw.org.uk, Consumer Council for Water, and use their calculator.
“If you’ve got a very big house and there aren’t many in, you’d be better off being metered for the amount of water and sewerage that you use, it makes sense.”
Lewis added that if fitting a water meter in your home is not practical, then you can instead ask for an “assessed charge”. In this case, water firms will assess what your costs would likely be if you were on a water metre.
If this amount is lower than your water bill then firms would go for the assessed charge rate, and if your assessed charge is higher than your water bill, then it’s best to stick with the water bill.
Additionally, Lewis recommends checking if you can get any freebies by visiting savewatersavemoney.co.uk. The website asks you to enter your postcode to check if you’re eligible for any free water saving devices that could help you save money.
