North West householders save over £4 MILLION on water bills

CAPTION: United Utilities meter readers

Families across the North West have saved more than £4 million on their water bills in the last six months.

The region’s water company United Utilities has released the figure as part of a new initiative aimed at encouraging more householders to give water meters a try.

Customers say that their biggest concern about water meters is that they might not make a saving if they switch from a fixed charge. The new initiative, called the Lowest Bill Guarantee, takes the risk out of the decision by guaranteeing that the water bill won’t increase during a two year trial with a meter.

After the water meter is installed, every time the customer is sent their water bill United Utilities automatically checks their metered charges against what they would have paid on their old fixed bill and charges them whatever is the lowest amount. This way they’re never out of pocket and any savings they make are theirs to keep.

The Lowest Bill Guarantee lasts for two years after which the householder can choose whether to stick with the metered charges or switch back to their old fixed bill based on rateable value. 

Since introducing the lowest bill guarantee six months ago almost 30,000 customers have already made a combined saving of more than £4.2 million on their water bills.

Louise Beardmore, Customer services Director at United Utilities, said: “We know that lots of people are put off applying for a water meter as they don’t think they will make a saving and may be afraid their bills will increase. However, the majority of customers who switch to a water meter save over £150 a year on their water bills so we really want to encourage even more people to give them a try. For the majority of households, meters are money saving marvels and help our customers to take control of their bills and only pay for what they use.

“Even better, water meters reward you for being water efficient which can help you to save money on your other energy bills too.”

For more information, United Utilities customers can visit www.unitedutilities.com/meters