THOUSANDS of households are being handed a surprise discount on their water bill.
Customers in Cornwall will get a £30 bill credit after levels of a drought-hit reservoir increased.
AlamyThousands of families are entitled to free water bill money for Christmas[/caption]
South West Water (SSW) made a unique promise to consumers after the summer heatwave depleted lakes and reservoirs in the country.
The company asked customers to help conserve supplies to reach the goal of making Colliford reservoir 30% full.
If it reached that by New Year’s Eve it said it would knock money off the bills in the area..
SSW has confirmed that thousands of residents will now get the payout.
It follows recent heavy rainfall which has seen many of the region’s reservoir levels rise – but the firm still asked people to use water wisely.
Susan Davy, chief executive officer at Pennon Group, owner of South West Water, thanked customers for conserving water, including taking shorter showers and fixing dripping taps.
Around 255,000 households in Cornwall will get the discount, which will be applied automatically to bills from January.
You’ll only get the discount if you are with SWW. You can check your bill to see who your water supplier is, or check on the Ofwat website.
We’ve asked other water companies if they are offering any similar schemes to SWW’s and will update when we hear back.
Unfortunately you can’t switch water supplier like you can with other utilities – you’re stuck with the one in your area.
But if you’re not getting this bill discount there are still other ways you could save on your bill.
How to save money on your water bill
Some water companies offer social tariffs which could slash your bill by as much as 90%.
They are aimed at those on low incomes and what discount you get will depend on what your supplier offers.
We’ve rounded what you can get at several of them here.
Some customers could slash their bill by hundreds a year by using the little known waste waster reduction allowance.
If more than 10% of surface water from your property enters a public sewer then you may qualify for a reduction in your sewerage charge.
Read more on how it works and how to claim in our guide.
Meanwhile several water companies are discounting water bills for millions of customers next year – find out if yours is one of them.
It comes after regulator Ofwat told a dozen suppliers it will have to return almost £150million to billpayers.
Moving to a water meter could could help some save some extra cash.
One mum more than HALVED her water bill after getting a meter – saving over £200 a year.
Obviously if you do use a lot of water then it makes no sense to have a meter as your bills could go UP.
The Consumer Council for Water offers a free water meter calculator that’ll tell you if you can save by fitting a water meter.
For example, if you have a big family and more people than bedrooms or simply use lots of water intensive appliances like washing machines or dishwashers, a fixed fee will be better for you.
Having a water meter doesn’t help with the standard charge that’s based on where you live either, but it can help you cut down the costs of your personal usage at home.
Part of that is how long you spend in the shower too.
According to Uswitch you could cut £70 from your energy bills and reduce your water bills too by reducing your wash time.
And leaving the water running while you brush your teeth could add £60 a year to your bills says Octopus.
The same goes for washing dishes, be sure you turn the tap off as if you’re doing it in the sink, leaving it running will add £25 to your annual bill.
Many water companies offer free water-saving devices that shave pounds off your bills too.
Contact your supplier or check out savewatersavemoney.co.uk.
And you can get help to cover the costs of your water bill too.