Water regulator Ofwat has announced that bills will jump on 1 April in England and Wales. The average rise will be 5.7 per cent but in one region it's 8.8 per cent. Now is the time to consider switching to a water meter and save £100s.
If you are billed, then what you pay depends roughly on your home's rentable value. So my rule of thumb is simple: if you have more bedrooms than people in your house check out whether it is worth getting a water meter, which instead measures usage. You could save £500 a year doing this.
Water companies must fit meters for free in England and Wales unless it is impractical. In that case, as often happens with flats or shared pipes, you have the right to request an "assessed charge bill" where your bills are based on likely usage.
