Overview
- Average water charges are set to increase by about £33 a year (roughly 5.4%) from April.
- Many local authorities are expected to raise council tax by around 5%, adding about £114 to a typical annual bill.
- Taken together, households could see roughly £147 added to yearly costs, although typical energy bills are forecast to drop by about £150 from April.
- Complaints to water companies have jumped by around 50% as customers look for support or challenge charges.
- Advisers point to social tariffs (up to 90% off at Southern Water and around 50% at Thames and Anglian), the Watersure cap for qualifying metered homes, free meter installations or assessed charges, and the £150 Warm Home Discount.