Water suppliers handing out £194 bill help to thousands of UK households

Thousands of households are being urged to check if they can get a discount on their water bill worth an average of £194 a year.

If you are on a low income or claiming benefits, then you may be eligible for a social water tariff. This is a special type of tariff that could reduce your bill by as much as 90%.

The exact type of support available, and who exactly is eligible for help, varies between water companies - but over 3.8million households are estimated to be missing out. This is according to Policy in Practice, which estimates £745million is going unclaimed in support.

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Based on these figures, it means the average household could slash their water bill by £194 a year. To give you an example of the help available, Affinity Water caps water bills at £143.80 a year, or £95.80 if you receive council tax support.

To qualify for its Lift social tariff, you must have an income of less than £19,995 excluding benefits, or be claiming certain benefits, such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

South East Water has a Big Difference tariff and this gives households a 30% discount on their water bill if their total household income, excluding any disability and housing payments, is between £17,000 and £21,000.

If your household income is less than £17,000, you will receive a 50% reduction. Thames Water offers a 50% discount if your water bill is more than 5% of your net income. This is through its WaterHelp tariff.

Yorkshire Water caps yearly bills at either £270, £354 or £409, depending on your circumstances, if your household income is below £20,000, or below £26,000 with dependants. You can find a full list of social water tariffs on the Consumer Council for Water website.

How to save money on your water bill

You can't switch water providers - but there are still ways to save money. Using less water is the most obvious way to cut your bills and you don't need to make drastic changes to do this.

For example, reducing your shower time by just one minute or making sure taps are switched off when not in use. You may also be able to save money through installing a water meter.

Martin Lewis suggests, as a general rule of thumb, that you could save cash if you have more or the same number of bedrooms in your house than people. Use the free calculator on the CCWwebsite to check if you'd benefit from a water meter.

Households can also bag a range of free water-saving devices through Save Water Save Money. The gadgets include shower heads which help regulate water usage, tap inserts to regulate water flow, and cistern bags, so each flush uses less water.