Experts explain whether it’s cheaper to have a bath or shower as bills rise

We’re all feeling the pinch from the cost of living crisis – but there may be some tricks you can use to lower your bills.

April will bring a whole host of price hikes, including everything from energy to council tax and water bills.

Ofgem is hiking its price cap this Friday (April 1), up £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 for those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit.

Prepayment customers will see a bigger jump, with their price cap going up by £708, from £1,309 to £2,017.

Meanwhile, the average water bill will rise as high as £420 this year, with the number of people that need help paying this expected to rise from 1.1million to 1.4million.

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If you’re looking to cut back on your costs, experts at boiler maker Worcester Bosch have explained whether it’s more economical to have a shower or bath.

To save the most cash, the answer is to have a short shower as this will use less water.

“A typical bath requires about 90 litres of water, split between 60 litres or so of hot water and 20 to 30 of cold,” Martyn Bridges, director of technical support at Worcester Bosch told The Guardian.

Are you worried about paying your bills? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

“A normal thermostatic mixer shower head discharges about nine litres a minute, requiring about six litres of hot and three litres of cold.

“So, providing you shower in less than 10 minutes, it will be more economical to shower.”

Bills for water and sewage in England and Wales are due to rise 1.7% this year, Water UK said, but some households may find their bills rise more or less than this average figure.

Some parts of the country, like Essex, will see bills rising by 10%.

Around £200 of the average bill goes to paying for water, and the remaining £219 for sewerage costs.

Cost of Living

Our Cost of Living team of experts are here to help YOU through a very difficult year.

They'll be bringing you the latest money news stories and also providing specialist advice.

Whether it's rocketing energy bills, the cost of the weekly shop or increased taxes, our team will be with you all the way.

Every Thursday at 1pm they will take part in a Facebook Live event to answer your questions and offer their advice. Visit facebook.com/dailymirror/live to watch. You can read more about our team of experts here.

If you have a question – or want to share your story – please get in touch by emailing webnews@mirror.co.uk.

How to get help paying water bills

The first step if you're struggling to pay your bill is to contact your water supplier to see what help they can offer you.

Water suppliers can cut bills for customers on low incomes or refer them to organisations that can help with bills.

You may also benefit from getting a free water meter installed – but it does depend on the size of your home and the number of people living there.

Martin Lewis has previously explained that it is worth exploring if you have more or the same number of bedrooms in your house than people.

Ten simple swaps that could save you hundreds as prices rise in cost of living crisis

If you have a water meter, you may be eligible for help through the Watersure scheme.

This also caps water bills if you are on benefits or need to use a lot of water due to having several children or medical reasons.

Another way to cut down your water bill is to minimise your usage through water-saving gadgets.

Households across much of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can bag a range of free insulation and devices through Save Water Save Money.

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