MILLIONS of households saw their water bills surge by up to 47% last week.
The average has increased by £123, taking it from £480 to £603 – a leap of around £10 per month.
And while these figures are undeniably daunting, there are things you can do to cut the cost of your .
The Technical Innovation Manager at housebuilder Barratt Redrow shared some simple changes that can be made around the home to help cut down on water usage and charges with .
Danielle Michalska-Morris said: “Data from the revealed that the average UK household uses 349 litres of water a day, which equates to 2,443 litres a week.
“Over 20 weeks, this is enough water to fill an average-sized swimming pool of 50,000 litres.”;
That’s an awful lot of water... And a lot of .
Here are five ways even the laziest Brit can slash the price of their water bill by up to £711 a year.
1. Monitor and fix any leaks
Fixing any leaks could save you a whopping £519 this year.
From the survey conducted by Danielle’s team, almost half of Brits try to fix leaks or drips quickly, in a
Major leaks such as a burst pipe can be easy to notice and rectify.
But slow leaks, such as a dripping tap or leaky loo, can waste between 200 and 400 litres of water a day if left unchecked.
This wastage of 300 litres a day can add hundreds to your water bill.
Older properties, in particular, can be susceptible to leaks.
2. Turn off the tap
Turning your tap off when you or scrub your face could save you up to £123 per year.
Leaving a tap running typically wastes approximately 6 litres of water per minute, according to Danielle. Her team’s survey found that more than a whopping 53% of Brits are guilty of doing so when brushing their teeth.
This simple habit could be adding up to £41 onto annual water bills per person, she said.
In a home of three people, this equals £123 extra.
3. Cut down on shower time
Cutting down the length of your shower by one minute for every day of the year will save you a cool £42 on your water bills.
The average shower length in the UK is eight minutes, with a standard showerhead using up to 64 litres of water for each wash.
For three people, this totals 192 litres per day.
Another cost-saving solution is to use a water-saving showerhead, a common practice that 47% of Brits now actively use, Danielle said.
Not only does reducing shower time help with water bills, but it also can help to cut back on energy and heating bills as well.
4. Avoid half loads
A less common practice is to run your washing machine and dishwasher only with full loads.
According to Danielle, a whopping 87% of Brits are not currently doing this.
The average UK washing machine typically uses between 35 and 50 litres per cycle on an eco-wash.
Meanwhile, a dishwasher uses 10 litres per eco cycle.
Using each of these appliances an extra time each week could add up to £15 onto an annual water bill.
5. Collect rainwater for outdoor use
Outdoor tasks such as washing the car and watering the garden can use up to 2,500 litres of water each year.
This amounts to £12 a year on water bills. And although small, it adds up across the years.
Natural rainwater collected in a water butt can be used to complete these tasks.
A water butt is a large container used for collecting and storing rainwater, typically sitting outside and connected to a downpipe from the roof, so that when it rains, water is diverted into the butt.
Another option is to use leftover water from other tasks to water the garden, a practice which almost a quarter of Brits (23%) have now adopted.
