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Water bills have surged again in 2025, with the average household now paying over £600 a year. But the good news is there are practical steps you can take to reduce your water bills. Here are five simple and effective ways to lower your water usage and save money every month.
KEY INFORMATION
The easiest ways to lower water bills and reduce the amount of water wasted are to:
Water bills in England and Wales rose sharply to an average of £603 on 1 April 2025, up £123. This price hike was even higher than £86 increase suggested at the start of 2025 by industry regulator Ofwat.
However, water bills vary depending on where you live. For example Southern Water bills increased to £703 on average (up 47%), while Hafren Dyfrdwy bills increased to an average of £590 (up 32%).
More, although thankfully smaller, increases are slated for the following four years.
Unfortunately, you cannot choose your water supplier so you can’t shop around for a better deal like you can with energy bills where you can switch energy suppliers to save cash. But there are ways you can reduce water bills – read on to find out how.
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Here’s a step-by-step guide to different ways you may be able to reduce your water bill.
If your water bills are dependent on ‘rates’, this means you pay a set monthly amount that is dependent on the value of your home, and is the same regardless of how much water you use.
However, if you have a water meter, you’ll pay for the amount you use. According to the Consumer Council for Water, 60% of households in England and Wales have a water meter. So getting one fitted may be one way to reduce water bills.
Top tip: As a general rule of thumb, if there are more bedrooms than people in your household having a meter will typically lead to cheaper water bills than rates. For example, if your kids have left home and you have spare bedrooms. For more detailed information on how much you’d pay on water bills if you have a meter installed use the Consumer Council for Water’s calculator.
KEY INFORMATION
Here’s how the process of switching to a water meter works:
A dripping tap can waste up to 5,500 litres of water a year, according to Water UK. So if you’ve got leaking taps, pipes, or toilets, fixing them promptly will avoid wasting water and reduce water bills too if you’re on a water meter.
And check if you’ve got any leaks you can’t see by turning off all the taps and then watching the water meter. If it’s ticking upwards you’ve got a leak.
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There are a number of easy changes you can make to decrease the amount of water that’s used in your home and reduce water bills too:
Bonus: Every drop you save helps the environment too. Treating and pumping water uses energy, so using less water also reduces carbon emissions. It’s a win for your wallet and the planet.
Fitting a water butt to collect rainwater is a great way to cut water usage from the mains for gardening and outdoor cleaning. According to Waterwise, this can save up to 5,000 litres annually.
Find out if there’s help you can access to reduce water bills:
If you receive certain benefits and need to use a high amount of water, you might qualify for the WaterSure scheme, a voluntary UK government initiative, which caps your water metered bill, if you have:
Contact your water company to check and apply.
Many water companies offer social tariffs for customers on low incomes, offering a discount off your water bill or a capped annual bill. Some water companies will let you apply if you earn less than a certain amount while others need you to be claiming certain benefits. Contact your water supplier to find out if you qualify for this support to lower your water bills.
If you live by yourself you may be able to reduce water bills by getting a water meter fitted. If you request a water meter but your water company can’t fit one, they must give you the choice to switch to a fixed single occupier tariff.
Use our tool powered by The Energy Shop to compare energy suppliers to see what deals are available.
Compare energy deals, see how much you can save on electricity and gas, switch provider today.
If you’re worried about paying your water bill, contact your water company for help without delay. For example, they could offer you: a payment holiday (sometimes called a payment freeze), an adjusted payment plan, advice on benefits and managing debts, help applying for charitable grants.
Find more information on the help you could get, at Consumer Council for Water (England or Wales), Turn2Us (Scotland) and Turn2Us (Northern Ireland)
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