State pensioners can get £200 back on their utility bill accounts for making one simple change following the October price cap energy price hike on Tuesday.
A five minute change can save £200 on water bills (Image: PA)
With the cost of gas and electricity going up by an average of £149 from October 1 and the Winter Fuel Payment being changed to means testing rendering millions ineligible for a £300 payment they would have previously had.
And with the £300 Cost of Living payment no longer being sent out this winter either, pensioners will be looking to everything they can to reduce their bills.
To make matters worse, water companies across the country have also put their bills up, meaning spiralling water costs are being added to the financial burden for millions of pensioners.
And now, bathroom specialists Assisted Living have revealed some minor changes to bathroom habits which can yield as much as £200 back into your energy account thanks to the savings you’ll make.
They said that swapping a bath for a shower, and cutting your shower time to just five minutes can help shed a highly significant £200 off your water bills each year.
Even turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save you £30.
Cheryl Ridson from accessible bathroom specialists Assisted Living said “Water bills are rising by at least £30 every year across the country.
“Cutting down payments can be easily achieved by switching the way that we use water around the house.
“Fitting your bathroom with water saving adjustments and taking a shower rather than a bath are just some changes you can make to use less water.”
“Getting a water meter fitted – you can apply online, by phone, or by post to see if you are eligible for a water meter to be fitted. If it is too difficult or expensive to fit into your home, you may be offered a price based on the estimate of what the bill would be with a meter fitted.
“Showering over taking a bath – If you are able to shower rather than have a bath, you may want to consider showering more often. A short shower can use as little as 1/3 less water than a typical bath does. If you can only take baths, you may still want to consider not filling the tub all the way as this could use 80 litres of water.
“Making sure to turn off the tap – Remembering to check that all taps are turned off after using is essential to keeping bills low. This also includes turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving as leaving the water on for those few minutes could cost you £30.
“Reusing water for your garden – Rather than using a hose to keep your plants healthy, you may want to consider investing in a water butt to utilise rainwater or even repurposing your bath and shower water to fill your watering can. Using a watering can to water the garden can be beneficial for controlling how much water is used.”
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State pensioners losing £750 from October 1 benefits and law changes
State pensioners across the UK are set to lose £749 from October 1 due to a range of money changes coming into effect.
DWP and Ofgem changes will take £749 from pensioners this winter (Image: Getty)
This winter, more than 10 million state pensioners will lose their Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.
Previously, the payment of between £200 and £300 was paid automatically to all state pensioners.
But thanks to changes made by the government, this year pensioners will not receive the money automatically and instead will only get the money if they’re in receipt of a ‘qualifying benefit’, such as Pension Credit.
Generally speaking, if your income per week is less than £218, or £335 for a couple – for example because you’re on the old pre-2016 basic state pension of £169.50 per week, you will qualify for Pension Credit.
But if you’re already in receipt of the full state pension you will lose your Winter Fuel Payment this winter.
The Winter Fuel Payment hotline opens on October 4 and those who think they are due the cash will be able to call up from this date to check.
State pensioners will also lose another £300 this winter compared to last winter because of the Cost of Living payment.
This £300 payment was automatically paid to all state pensioners in each of the past two winters to help people cope with the abnormally high energy costs, but this year is the first year that it will not be sent out.
This was always planned to end for 2024 but the government has not chosen to renew the scheme.
Finally, energy bills will increase by 10 percent from October 1, an average of £149 for a household on typical use, taking bills from £1,568 to £1,717.
While energy bills will still be slightly lower than they were last winter, this is still an unwelcome increase at a time when other benefits have been cut or narrowed in eligibility.
Currently a Triple Lock state pension increase is forecast to boost pensioner incomes by £460, but this won’t take be confirmed until the end of October and won’t take effect until April 2025.
