Latest news with #waterbills
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Easy trick to slash your water bill by £432 a year – but millions of households miss out
MILLIONS of households could slash their water bills by up to hundreds of pounds a year. But many Brits aren't aware of the discounts they could be entitled to. 1 All water companies in England and Wales now offer social tariffs to help lower-income customers. But because each company sets its own rules, the support varies wildly depending on where you live. Despite the growing cost of living and rising utility prices, millions of eligible people still aren't claiming the discounts available. Last year, consumer watchdog CCW said more than two million households had received help with their water bills, but millions more could be saving and aren't. Some of the biggest discounts are available through schemes like WaterHelp, run by Thames Water, which offers a 50% reduction. The reduction is for households earning under £21,749 a year (not including disability benefits), or where bills account for more than 5% of net income. There's also WaterSure, a national scheme available to water meter customers on means-tested benefits. If you have a medical condition that needs extra water or you have three or more children under 19 living at home, you could get your bill capped at the average annual charge. With Thames Water, for example, that cap is currently £423 a year. The average annual water and sewerage bill for a Thames Water customer is currently around £864. So that means if you qualify for WaterHelp, you get 50% off your bill and would therefore save £432 a year. What's available at other providers? Other providers offer even bigger savings. Southern Water gives customers up to 90% off bills through its Essentials Tariff if they earn under £22,010 and have less than £16,000 in savings. Wessex Water, South West Water, and Bournemouth Water also offer generous reductions, in some cases 85% or more, depending on your circumstances. Meanwhile, Anglian Water, Essex & Suffolk Water, and Northumbrian Water offer discounts of up to 50% for households earning less than £23,933 or receiving Pension Credit. In many cases, discounts kick in if your water bill makes up more than 3% of your income after housing costs. To find out if you're eligible, check your supplier's website or give them a call. Some schemes ask for proof of income or benefits, while others carry out a short financial assessment. If you're unsure who supplies your water, you can find out using this tool. On top of that, many water firms also offer emergency grants to help with arrears, and free water-saving gadgets like tap aerators and shower timers to help cut your usage. And with suppliers like Thames Water proposing price hikes of nearly 60% over the next six years, now's the time to act. Don't wait until your bills go up, check if you can get help now and start saving. what benefits you could be entitled to.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Water firm's losses deepen after Devon parasite outbreak
South West Water's parent company has reported widening losses following a parasite outbreak in Group posted a pre-tax loss of £72.7m for the year ending March, a sharp increase from the £9.1m loss recorded the previous year. A major contributor was the cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham, south Devon, which cost the company about £21m, it increased water bills by 28% on average from April, which it said would fund ongoing investment plans. The parasite outbreak, which contaminated the local water supply, led to hospitalisations and more than 100 reported cases of illness, including symptoms such as diarrhoea. Pennon said about 800 staff and supply chain partners worked intensively over eight weeks to restore safe drinking water to the affected addition to the outbreak costs, the company also absorbed £15.8m in restructuring expenses over the the financial hit, Pennon said it was pushing ahead with plans to invest £3.2bn in its infrastructure by 2030. The investment will fund new reservoirs, storm overflow repairs, net zero initiatives, and service support this, SWW customers saw their bills rise by an average from April. Customers of Bristol Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water, also owned by Pennon, faced increases of 5% and 3%, respectively. Pennon said the bill hikes would cover about a third of the planned investment. 'Tough decision' "We know customers are worried about rising bills to fund this level of investment," said Susan Davy, chief executive of Pennon. "While we have made the tough decision to put bills up in 2025/26, for the first time in over a decade, two-thirds of our investments are being funded by our supportive investors and debt providers."Ultimately everyone will benefit from the investments we are making, from building reservoirs, to fixing storm overflows, powering our net zero ambitions and helping to create economic growth."Despite ongoing dry weather, Ms Davy said the South West was not expected to face a hosepipe ban this summer. Pennon said it anticipates a return to profitability in the coming year, driven by increased revenues and streamlined business operations. A landmark review by the independent Water Commission found the water sector in England and Wales is failing and needs stronger regulation to better protect billpayers and the environment.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour plots ‘family bathtime tax' on water bills
Labour has opened the door to 'progressive' water bills that would force those with larger family homes and gardens to pay more. Ministers have said they support utilities companies trialling new tariffs that charge the heaviest users of water a higher rate. Some firms are also pushing for a move to a seasonal pricing system, which would mean it costs more to use water in the summer than the winter. Combined, the changes would disproportionately hit the bills of families with children and of households with gardens and swimming pools. The Tories said the 'punitive' plans would hit young parents hardest, accusing Labour of allowing a 'tax on bathtime' and 'waging war on family homes'. It comes after England experienced its driest start to spring for almost 70 years, with the Environment Agency declaring a drought in the North West. Water companies are lobbying ministers to give the green light to the use of new tariffs, which they say will reduce bills for most households and cut consumption. They want to be able to switch to a model of 'progressive' pricing, whereby families that use the most water are charged the highest prices. Under the system, also known as rising block tariffs, the rate people are charged per litre increases at intervals in line with their usage. Such a system would have to be underpinned by the rollout of smart meters to all homes so that companies could monitor their water usage in real time. Around 60 per cent of homes in England are currently metered, but the vast majority of those have a conventional meter from which periodic readings are taken. The Government estimates that only 12 per cent have smart meters, which are connected to the internet and provide data directly to the utility company.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Pete residents could start paying late fees on their water bills again
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Starting Sunday, June 1, St. Pete residents could start paying late fees on their water bills again, with the first round of potential lock offs starting in July. For months, News Channel 8 has been on your side, as St. Petersburg residents navigate unexplained sky-high water bills which many say started during hurricane season. Florida lawmakers pass hurricane bill amid restriction fears St. Petersburg resident David Kuoch told News Channel 8 he got several abnormally high bills, including one for $2,538. Susan Gagle said she got one for $1,200. Antoinette Lagrone and her husband received a bill for over $1,500. They are just a few of the people that have shared their stories with 8 On Your Side. Let's break down the numbers. City leaders said, since September, they've given $1.7 million in relief to customers who had a leak on their property, nearly $48,000 in adjustments for people whose homes flooded and another $14,000 to people who had a high meter read but no leak. Matthew Weidner is an attorney who had a high bill himself. He said, 'Thousands of citizens in the city of St. Petersburg received outrageous water bills, and here to this day, eight months later, we still have exactly no answer.' This memo from St Pete's billing and collections director lays out some upcoming changes. BC_Hurricane-Utility-Billing-Activities-Update_Final-v261Download Part of it reads, 'As our community continues to recover, the city will resume normal collection activities effective June 1st, 2025 and the first potential lock offs beginning July 1st, 2025.' Weidner said he doesn't believe these steps should be taken until the city gets to the root of why the bills were so high in the first place. 'I want this administration to be held accountable, I want answers to be provided to the citizens of this community about why these outrageous bills occurred,' he said. News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked Weidner, 'What do you want now?' 'The same thing I wanted eight months ago: a legitimize answer to why citizens are getting thousands of dollars' worth of bills with no good explanation as to why they were billed in that manner,' he responded. In March, the St. Pete City Council approved a resolution that allowed Stantec Consulting Services to take a look at these abnormal water bills and give an analysis. News Channel 8 is working to get answers on where that analysis stands, and if Stantec Consulting Services was able to get to the root of the problem. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Malay Mail
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
‘It's on us': Tokyo waives water bills to help pensioners beat the heat and rising costs this summer
TOKYO, May 22 — Japan will waive basic water bills will for Tokyo residents this summer to combat the impact of extreme heat, the government said. Last summer was the joint hottest on record in Japan as extreme heatwaves fuelled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe. 'The basic fee will be waived for four months,' Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters Tuesday, adding that households would save an average of 5,000 yen (RM149). The government aims to reduce the inflation burden on households, and encourage the use of air conditioning to prevent heatstroke. 'We hope to create an environment where Tokyo residents can live safely even in the expected heatwaves,' Koike said. Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public, especially elderly people, to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke. Senior citizens made up more than 80 per cent of heat-related deaths in the past five years. Pensioners are harder hit by rising electricity bills, and some elderly Japanese believe that air conditioning is bad for health. The Tokyo government has budgeted 36.8 billion yen to cover around 8 million households — or a population of 14 million. Water costs above the basic fees will be charged as usual. — AFP
