British Gas ‘4 minute rule’ to cut bills immediately from April

Household prices will take a big hit from April with a wave of rising bills, including what you pay for water.

Ofwat confirmed in January that household water bills across England and Wales will increase by an average of 5.4% from April. The price rise is £33 more per year on average and comes after a 20% increase by 2025, or an average of £86 more per household.

Unfortunately, unlike mobile, broadband and energy providers, it is not possible to shop around for a cheaper water supplier, as it depends on your postcode, but there are things you can do at home to reduce costs – including following the ‘4 minute rule’ recommended by British Gas.

According to a leading energy retailer, cutting your shower time down to just four minutes can save you a lot of money and is something you can do right away to start reducing your bills.

Although you may not think that showering is a very expensive task, it is a task that is part of the daily routine of many families, and some choose two showers a day, so that the cost can add up quickly – especially if you don’t like a lot of water.

So reducing your shower time to just four minutes is a small but effective way to keep your energy costs down and could save you an average of £70 a year on your bills.

British Gas said: “Everything uses electricity and we often leave our house on or fill the kettle on for our morning cup.” But we have a few tips that can help you save money by doing the smallest things in your home.”

In its general tips for saving energy in your home, the retailer added: “Cut your shower time to just 4 minutes and you could save up to £70 a year.”

Not only does a shorter shower cut down on your energy bills, it can also help save up to 17,000 liters of water each year, according to the Energy Saving Trust, so you can have a positive impact on the environment with a quick shower.

And if you like to relax in the tub, it’s also worth ditching your bubble bath at least once a week for a shower instead as an easy way to save money.

The Energy Saving Trust says choosing a four-minute shower once a week instead of a bath could save the average UK household £10 a year and save 4,000 liters of water a year.

Of course, if long showers aren’t your thing, you can opt to install a water-saving shower head instead to reduce your energy costs.

You can do this by visiting the Save Water Save Money website and entering your postcode to check what free things, such as water heads, your water company offers, but availability depends on where you live and the conditions of the property. If you qualify, you can order the shower head directly through the website and have it delivered to your home.

Turning off the shower while using shampoo, soap or shower gel and then turning it back on is another free and easy way to save energy and water. You will also heat less water by doing this which helps to reduce your energy costs, as well as your water usage.

Daniel Lintell, operations manager at Triton Showers, says “small behavioral changes” can have a big impact, because “every drop makes a difference”.

He said: “Showering accounts for a quarter of the water used in homes. So a good shower will reduce your water use – and one of the benefits of reducing your shower water use is that you will lower your energy costs significantly,” because you don’t need to heat as much water.

“You don’t need to run for minutes and minutes and minutes – it wastes time, energy and water.”

He added: “If you have a mixer shower, consider stopping your shower while shampooing.” “A lot of people wet their hair, put shampoo in, leave, and leave the shower running.”