Water bill increase? 8 reasons why

We are living in a time where energy bills are causing serious concerns for many, with some reporting a water bill increase across the UK. The combination of increasing rates and inflation makes it harder to afford the cost of living. It is more important than ever to monitor your bills and try to reduce energy costs wherever possible.

From being more careful about turning your lights off when not using them, to turning your heating down a few degrees, some small changes could save you money over a full year. It is also important to thoroughly check your bills for any spikes in costs that are not accounted for by price increases.

Your water bill could spike for several reasons, so understanding the different possible reasons could help you to identify a problem and potentially reduce your bills. These are the main reasons your water bill is higher:

1. The previous water bill was estimated

If your previous water bill was an estimation rather than an actual water meter reading, your bill could have spiked because the previous bill was too low. You should be able to check your previous bill to see if this is the issue.

2. Using more water outdoors

People’s bills often go up in spring and summer when they are using more water outdoors for watering the garden or washing their car. Children playing in the garden in things like paddling pools with a lot of water can also be another reason water usage increases at this time of year and the answer to your high bill.

3. Guests visiting

If you have guests staying overnight or even have a large group visiting for an evening, this can lead to an increased amount of water being used through more toilet flushes and showers for guests while they stay.

4. Increase the size of your household

If you have a new child or someone moves into your home, this is also likely to increase your water usage. Even getting a new dog can increase your water usage by bathing your new pet.

5. Using a new appliance

 Having new appliances installed such as a washing machine or dishwasher can also cause your water bill to increase, especially if you buy a bigger machine. It is important to check for leaks when new appliances are installed. Getting charged a higher amount than your average bill could mean that it is not installed correctly, leading to greater use of water and thus a heftier bill.

6. More washing = water bill increase

 One simple explanation for an increased water bill is if you have had more laundry to wash than normal. For example, if you have been on holiday and need to wash all the clothes you took with you or people in the house have been doing more sports/exercise and have more clothes to wash as a result.

7. House renovations

 Any type of building or other work in your house such as landscaping outside can lead to a spike in water, from using water to clean up, to having your bathroom replaced and running more water to test the system.

8. A hidden pipe leaks

 Leaks in your home are a common cause of an increase in your water bill. Most leaks will be visible, such as boiler leaks, appliance leaks, or radiator leaks. However, where pipes are hidden in the structure of the building, it is more difficult to locate a leak.

Many pipes run under floorboards and a leak can go undetected for some time, causing property damage as well as wasting your water.

In this case, using a leak detection service will help you to find the leak so that you can get it repaired and increase your water-saving and reduce your bill.

Rainbow International uses advanced non-invasive technology to pinpoint the source of a leak so that homeowners can quickly get the issue repaired and minimise the damage caused.

Book a Trace and Access consultation with Rainbow International today by calling us on 0800 999 6800.