In addition to the credit crunch and rapidly increasing cost of heating and electricity, the cost of water is likely to rise above inflation, according to draft proposals submitted by the largest UK water companies to the water regulator OFWAT.
Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK, expects to raise water bills by about three per cent on top of annual inflation every year between 2010 and 2015. United utilities, providing water to the North West, intends to raise prices by 2.7 per cent above inflation. Northumbrian and Anglian Water plan to raise their prices by 1.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent above inflation respectively.
The Consumer Council for Water warned that the planned price increases would increase the average bill by 16 per cent about the rate of inflation in 2015.
David Bland, chairman of the Consumer Council for Water in London said: “The proposal of high price increases and more water meters combined with the rising cost of heating and electricity bills could hurt many households”.
Water UK, which represent UK water and wastewater service providers announces that “the water companies plans to invest £27 billion during the period to ensure the right balance between supply and demand”.
Professional plumbers recommend simple measures that can help reduce the cost of water bills. Fixing a dripping tap can save costs on wasted water and cost of heating gas (if the tap is a hot water tap). A professional plumber should be able to fix such small plumbing or heating problems quickly and cheaply. Further a plumber can check your household’s plumbing system to identify inner leaks or build ups that might reduce the efficiency or your plumbing and heating systems.