Express & Star

Money Saving Amy: Tips to cut costs on hefty water bills as the cost of living crisis rumbles on

As families struggle to get by through the cost of living crisis, the Star has teamed up with ‘Money Saving Amy’ in a bid to help families with some handy hints and tips.

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Hello everyone. This week I have water saving tips for you all, writes Amy Grayland.

A water meter won’t be the best solution for everyone, particularly a large family, but for those of you who are on a water meter, here’s a way to save on that bill.

Firstly, a very easy and simple thing to do is to switch taps off and not leave them running unnecessarily, for example when you are brushing your teeth, or when you’re washing up.

Another simple tip is that showering, rather than bathing, will use much less water - and of course shorter showers will save on water usage.

A few minutes showering could save around half the amount of water a bath would consume.

You can even buy a water-saving shower head, which are inexpensive to buy and readily available online.

The difference is small but all the small changes add up over the course of a year to make a more significant saving.

Another way to save on your water bill in the bathroom is that if your toilet is a conventional single flush toilet, placing an object like a large stone or pebble will save water with every flush.

Moving on to the kitchen in a home, there’s more simple ways to save on your water usage. Only fill your kettle or coffee machine with the water you need - not only will this save on water, but it’ll also save on electricity, and of course it’ll mean you get your drink quicker.

Also, remember not to fill your washing-up bowl or sink too much, only fill it with what you need, depending on how many items you have to wash up. If you have a dishwasher, only put it on if it’s full, putting it on too often with small loads will use more water. And it’s the same with your washing machine too. Both of these things will also save electricity.

If you like to drink cool water throughout the day, rather than running the tap to get it cool each time you want a drink, fill up a larger container and keep this in the fridge for the day, that way excess water won’t be wasted while running the tap cold.

If you like gardening or have plant pots or hanging baskets, consider collecting rain water in a bucket or special water butt, and use this to water your plants to save on using your hose pipe.

I hope this week's tips help to reduce those water bills for those of you on a water meter.

You can find me sharing daily tips and tricks on my Instagram _moneysavingamy and Facebook moneysavingamy.