
Three genius ways to reduce water usage and bring down your bills
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
EVER rising water bills are becoming a drain on household's finances.
But there are some useful ways to reduce your water usage and bring down your bills.
7
We have three genius ways to reduce water usage and bring down your bills
Credit: Getty
WASTE LESS: Before you do anything else, fix any leaks such as a dripping tap. Then, look at how you can use less.
Showers use the most water, so set a time limit of four minutes.
To help you stick to it, search for 'four-minute shower hits' on Spotify and the playlist from charity WaterAid.
Also, get yourself a water-saving shower head, from £10, and turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. In the kitchen, always use dishwashers and washing machines on eco mode.
NO-HOSE SAVINGS: Instead of using a hose, target plants in need with water from a can instead.
Wash fruit and vegetables in a filled washing-up bowl instead of running the tap and then use the leftover water in your garden.
Water early morning or late evening to reduce evaporation.
If you've been meaning to set up a water butt or barrel to collect rainwater, don't put it off any longer.
BILL BUSTERS: You can't change your water company, but there are ways to get extra help.
Check your bill to see if you are on a water meter and, if not, it's free to switch to one.
How to cut energy costs and get help with FOUR key household bills
Generally, if there are fewer people living in your home than bedrooms, a meter could save you money.
Use the Consumer Council for Water's calculator at ccw.org.uk to see how much you'd pay if you had a meter installed.
If you receive certain benefits and need to use a high amount of water, you might qualify for the WaterSure scheme, which caps your bill if you have certain medical conditions or three or more children under 19.
If you're a low earner in England and Wales, you could apply for your water company's cheaper social tariff.
All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
DEAL OF THE DAY
7
This Radley suitcase is down from £199 to £99.50 at John Lewis
Credit: John Lewis
THERE'S no need to scrimp on holiday packing with the Radley spring floral four-wheel large suitcase from John Lewis, down from £199 to £99.50.
SAVE: £99.50
CHEAP TREAT
7
Get Gu frozen clotted cream & chocolate crunch sundaes for £3.75 with a Tesco Clubcard
Credit: Tesco
ENJOY four Gu frozen clotted cream & chocolate crunch sundaes for £3.75 with a Tesco Clubcard, down from £5.50, in glass ramekins you can reuse.
SAVE: £1.75
What's new?
KIDS can learn about which animals enjoy living together at 45-minute My Pet Pals workshops at Pets at Home, running daily until June 1.
Book at petsathome.com/workshops.
TOP SWAP
7
This set of four green glasses is £26 from Next
Credit: Next
7
But this Asda set is just £12
Credit: Asda
FOR a green, green glass at home, take a look at the Hollis set of four, £26 from Next, or pour your tipple into the green Scallop glasses set from Asda, £12.
SAVE: £14
Little helper
ENJOY a lie-in even when you're camping with the Crivit four-person pop-up blackout tent from Lidl for £129, or £99 with Lidl Plus.
Shop & save
7
The 60-piece Mega Bloks big building bag is down from £15.99 to £7.99 at The Entertainer,
Credit: The Entertainer
BUILD imagination one block at a time with the 60-piece Mega Bloks big building bag at The Entertainer, down from £15.99 to £7.99.
SAVE: £8
Hot right now
OVER the Bank Holiday weekend, save 25 per cent on six or more bottles of wine at chains including Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons.
PLAY NOW TO WIN £200
7
Join thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The more codes you enter, the more tickets you'll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Sudoku 6,999 medium
Click here to access the print version. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday and Saturday puzzles are given in either Saturday's or Monday's edition.


The Guardian
06-08-2025
- The Guardian
Sudoku 6,992 hard
Click here to access the print version. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday and Saturday puzzles are given in either Saturday's or Monday's edition.


Telegraph
06-08-2025
- Telegraph
Young girls find bra-buying excruciating enough without ‘help' from trans M&S workers
Taking one's daughter for her first bra fitting is so excruciating that when that time came for my third daughter, I outsourced this rite of passage to her older sister. Show me a girl who is not self-conscious about her body at that age and I will show you a liar. It doesn't matter how open you have been as a parent, it is all, as the kids say, 'awks'. Usually, the bustling no-nonsense ladies of John Lewis or M&S take over and thank god for that. For the terminally shy, online purchases come to the rescue. In such a situation, I have asked for help while my eldest curled up in embarrassment beside me. The idea that anyone would approach us at all is extraordinary, but a big unit in the shape of a 6ft 2in transgender woman, aka a biological man? Just no. Yet is exactly what happened recently to a mother and daughter in M&S. The mother, who complained, said her daughter 'freaked out'. M&S have apologised. But really what are they playing at? Of course, trans people can be employed in the store. But sticking them in the lingerie section? What could possibly go wrong? This is a company, after all, that apologised for and withdrew an ad that said: ' First bras for fearless young things.' Note the dehumanising use of the word 'things' – it is as if the words girls must be erased to satisfy the need of some poor boys who identify as the opposite sex. M&S have yet more form on this. For years it has proclaimed itself as an 'inclusive retailer' allowing men who identify as women into its changing rooms. They claim their changing rooms are secure and private. But why should women even have to think about this? Why this insane tussle over our rights to privacy and safety given this is what most of the public want and more to the point, what most of its female customers want? The drive from corporates, brand consultants and strung-out ad execs high on their own supply of loopy-loo ideas of diversity is producing a culture that is strangely dated and irrelevant. What on earth, for instance, was that super-queer Jaguar ad, which featured a range of interesting-looking androgynous models – but no actual car – about? Do potential Jag owners want to 'create exuberant', 'delete ordinary' and 'live vivid'? Do they even understand what this nonsense means? We are not in Kansas any more. The gender cult has peaked. This has come about through a number of cases, tribunals and reviews culminating in the Supreme Court Equality Act ruling, which clarified the law by explaining that gender identity does not trump biology. Just as importantly though, as more light has been shone on this subject (often by women objecting to having our boundaries violated), public attitudes have shifted hugely in the last five years. The most recent YouGov survey shows that the public across all age groups does not want men in women's spaces, understands that there is a clash with women's rights at times and does not support the use of puberty blockers. I also suspect that many people, when questioned about the rights of transwomen to be in female spaces, clearly did not understand that most were in fact, fully intact men who have not transitioned beyond some poorly applied slap. We are currently living through a moment in which several of our politicians and much of our culture is not up to speed on this – another worrying sign of just out of touch they are. Gender-critical views are not some aberration beloved only by middle-aged hags: they have, in fact, become the majority view. The more informed people have become on this subject, the more they have rejected cult thinking. The outlier position is now to welcome biological men into women's refuges (would-be Green leader Zack Polanski) or into women's prisons (Nigel Farage, who ended up doing a U-turn on that view 24 hours later). The case for medicalisation and sterilisation of children we can leave to the likes of deranged fanatics like Jolyon Maugham and Dr Helen Webberley. Sadly, the cultural establishment also joins those holding out against reality, with writers, academics, novelists, artists and TV types being the most blinkered of all. It turns out that they are mostly gutless authoritarians. The Edinburgh International Book Festival will not platform any of our excellent gender critical writers, such as Jenny Lindsay (author of Hounded, about the witch-hunt of women by trans activists) or the contributors to the best-selling set of essays The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht: Voices from the Front-Line of Scotland's Battle for Women's Rights. The festival is operating with basically a No Debate policy. Its star turn is, of course, Nicola Sturgeon – who was brought down partly by her gender lunacy. The festival organisers prefer to stay in their comfort zone untroubled, it would appear, by law or public opinion. These folk are far too genteel to espouse book burning but they don't need to. Their cultural negligence and denial suffices. In their bubble of faux radicalism, their views (any bloke can be a woman!) have no consequences in the real world. Oh but they do. They have consequences in small ways – men offering teenage girls 'help' with bras – and in big ways, when women lose careers and credibility for stating the truth. Just last month, at London's Pride rally, we again saw demonstrations on our streets, where signs saying 'Kill Terfs' and threats of violence to women were paraded. Make no mistake, these people are sore losers in every way. This is why we remain keen to protect our spaces and our daughters.