In April the energy price cap increase comes into force. If you’re concerned about your energy bill increasing Martin Lewis has shared a smart water tip that could cut your energy bills.
Speaking at the Ideal Home Show, Martin Lewis revealed one of his top energy-saving tips is using less water to help save on energy bills. ‘Bizarrely, one way to save on your energy bills is to use less water, because much of the water we use in our home has been heated, so we pay for it to be heated,’ he explains.
Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles
Instead of simply cutting a shower short you can invest in an aerated showerhead. They are one of the best energy-saving products because while they use less water, they give the same shower pressure as a standard showerhead. They can use up to 50 per cent less water, but blend water with air to create larger drops of water that give that luxury shower feeling.
Earlier this year Kohler launched a new luxury aerated showerhead that can cut water usage by 40 per cent, however, you can pick other more affordable versions up for as little as £11 on Amazon. Alternatively, Martin Lewis pointed out that you could snag one for free if you shop around a little.
Image credit: Bathroom Mountain
‘There’s a website called savemoneysavewater.co.uk which collates all the freebies available from the water companies around the country, such as £30 aerated showerheads, which you can get for free.’
‘It’s worth checking out, go grab yourself a freebie, save on your water – good if you’re on a water meter – and save on your energy because you’re paying to heat less water,’ he adds.
To give you an idea of how much using less water in the shower could be saving you, last month the Energy Saving Trust calculated that taking a shorter shower that lasts just 4 minutes could save a typical household £65 a year on energy bills. While you could easily simply cut your time in the shower to save money, an aerated showerhead is a great way to reap the benefits with minimal sacrifice.
Image credit: Future PLC/ David Giles
Alternatively, it could be worth checking on the temperature your water is being heated to, you could be wasting energy by overheating it. ’60°C is the optimum temperature for hot water, so if you notice that you’re running water that’s hotter than that, you could be wasting energy,’ points out Ed Whitworth, Head of Energy Performance at Bionic.
The cost of living is going up across the board not just with energy bills, so make sure you’re prepared for the April price hike.