As energy bills have now risen by 54 percent, Britons are frantically searching for ways to save money any way they can. The average UK water bill has risen by around £7 to £419 from April, an increase of roughly 1.7 percent, Water UK announced. This is just the average rise though – many areas will see a bigger hike of up to 10 percent on their water bill. To help Britons reduce their water bills, Matin Smith of Showerstoyou.co.uk has provided “easy ways” to use less water.
While it may be worth checking so see if you’d benefit from a water meter, using less water is the simplest way to save on water bill costs.
Here are several ways homeowners can use less water in their day-to-day lives.
Turn the taps off in between wetting your toothbrush
According to waterwise.org “a running tap wastes over six litres per minute”.
This means that if adults brush their teeth the NHS recommended twice a day for two minutes – they could be wasting over 24 litres of water a day – more than is used in the average modern dishwasher cycle.
READ MORE: Energy bills: Switching to showers will help ‘keep costs down’
Martin noted: “Baths use more water than showers. In fact, a 10 minute shower uses approximately half the amount of water as a full bath.”
Homeowners can reduce their water consumption even further by taking shorter showers.
To avoid losing track of time, consider using a timer. This will help to gauge how much time is being spent in the shower and can give a reminder when it is time to turn the water off and get out.
Use a quick wash setting on your washing machine
A quick wash uses less water, up to 30 percent on average.
This means Britons can care for their clothes and the environment at the same time.
Quick washes are also better for your washing machine, reducing their running time and helping to care for them for longer.
Martin said: “Most washing machines have a quick wash function that uses less water. When possible, make the most of this function in order to save on water.”
If you own a dishwasher, use it
Matin explained that even inefficient dishwashers use about half as much water as hand washing.
To save water further, remember that there’s no need to rinse your plates before putting them in the dishwasher – simply scrape off the food and load into the appliance.
Pre-rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher can waste around 1,115 litres of water a year.
