HOUSEHOLDS could get up to 90% off water bills due to little-known schemes.

Each water company has its own social tariff for low-income customers – but the discount varies based on where you live.

Residential households can’t choose their water supplier, so it’s pot luck regarding the generosity of your supplier.

Another issue is that social tariffs aren’t widely advertised and they tend to be hidden away on water companies’ websites.

The best thing to do is check your supplier’s website and see if you meet the eligibility criteria.

How much help can you get?

Eligibility for social tariffs usually depends on your household income and specific circumstances.

Some water companies will do a deep dive into your financial situation while others will require evidence that you claim certain benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

Some social tariffs cap bills at a certain amount, while others offer discounts on average or actual bills.

For example, South East Water’s Social Tariff scheme is available to households with an income of less than £18,725 a year, excluding certain benefits. If you qualify, your annual bill will be capped at £182.82 (East) or £146.94 (West). 

Much less generous is Yorkshire Water’s WaterSupport scheme. This caps bills at £364 for 2024/25 and requires an income of less than £19,000 a year.

Anglian Water, Essex and Suffolk Water and Northumbrian Water all offer bill discounts described as “up to 50%”.

Anglian Water assesses individual circumstances before moving customers to a social tariff.

But both Essex and Suffolk Water and Northumbrian Water have quite specific criteria: either a household income of less than £23,933, or a member of your household being in receipt of Pension Credit, and an annual water bill which is 3% or more of your net household income after housing costs.

Some other suppliers offer much bigger savings. For example, Southern Water’s Essential tariff offers discounts up to 90% off the average bill.

To qualify you need a household income of less than £22,010 (excluding some benefits) and savings of less than £16,000.

Other water companies potentially offering discounts of 85% or more include Wessex Water, South West Water and Bournemouth Water.

Could a single tariff help?

According to the CCW, the independent body for water consumers, more than 2 million customers are receiving some form of support with paying their water bill.

This includes more than 1.3 million low-income households in England and Wales on social tariff schemes.

But millions could be slipping through the net due to a lack of awareness of social tariffs.

Andy White, senior leader for social policy at the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said: “Every water company has been allowed to develop its own social tariff scheme, which has led to some big variations in eligibility criteria and the level of support provided.”

The CCW, Citizens Advice and several other charities have been campaigning for a single scheme across England and Wales with fairer and better targeted support for those that need it most.

Last month Independent Age wrote an open letter to the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, asking the government to help people in poverty with their water costs.

Any decision regarding a single social tariff would be made by minsters and it’s understood that discussions are ongoing.

Tom MacInnes, interim director of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “It’s essential that people on the lowest incomes can afford their water bills and are shielded from the above-inflation price rises we’re set to see over the coming years. Yet current social tariff schemes are falling far short of ensuring this.” 

Water bills typically increase each year. The water regulator Ofwat has proposed that bills should increase by an average of £19 a year between 2025 and 2030, a rise of 21% over the five-year period.

Some water companies would raise their bills by much more than this if they could get away with it.

Last month saw Thames Water beg Ofwat to let it hike bills by 59% over the next six years.

What is watersure?

WaterSure is different to a social tariff.

Available across England and Wales, the water assistance scheme is targeted at metered customers who are in receipt of certain benefits and have to use a lot of water due to a medical condition or the size of their household.

It caps bills at an amount set at your supplier’s average household cost.

This figure varies between water companies. For example, the average annual bill for 2024/25 with Severn Trent is £438, while at Thames Water it is £471.

To be eligible for WaterSure, you must have a water meter (or have applied for one), be on a means-tested benefit (such as Universal Credit or Income Support), and have a need to use additional water.

How are water bills calculated?

Households are charged for water in one of three ways: unmetered based on your home’s rateable value, via a water meter, or an assessed household charge .

If your water is unmetered, your bill is based on your home’s ‘rateable’ value.

This depends on your property’s size and location.
If you have a water meter, your bill will depend on how much water you use.

You can save money by using less. In general, if there are more bedrooms in your home than people, you’ll save money with a water meter.

All properties built since 1990 have a water meter installed, while occupants of older homes can ask their water company to install a meter for free.

But some properties won’t be able to have a water meter. For example, many blocks of flats have shared pipes or inaccessible pipework.

If you’re rejected for a water meter, you’ll be put on your water company’s ‘assessed household charge’. This is based on the average metered bill for the number of bedrooms your home has.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

SAVING for Christmas can be a huge task, with the festive season costing Brits more and more every year.

In fact, research by comparison sit MoneySuperMarket found that the average cost of Christmas rose to £1,811.70 per household last year.

But there are ways you can save throughout the year to cut the cost of the holiday, from savings challenges to buying items at a discount.

Here, The Sun’s money team have shared all the ways they’re cutting costs this Christmas and their top money saving tips.

‘I’ll be looking on Vinted this Christmas’

By Lana Clements, Sun Savers editor

Being super organised with Christmas and having an idea of expenses helps spread the cost and takes some of the pressure off the big day.

I will be doing stockings for my two children as usual this year and have already started collecting things that can be used as fillers, I simply buy as and when I see suitable bargains.

I am also looking at buying a toy advent calendar and taking out the gifts to use as fillers which is a great way to make some savings.

Hampers are a great gift for hard-to-buy family members. And making your own is far cheaper than ready made.

I take advantage of deals and offers in the supermarkets now to stockpile items and tailor to the tastes of the chosen recipient.

I save all my supermarket points throughout the year to use around Christmas. I always check if cashback is available before buying anything – both through my bank account and through sites such as Topcashback.

I’ll be looking on Vinted for Christmas outfits and jumpers. Last year I bought a fab sequin dress from M&S for £5 through the app.

‘I’ve made hundreds of pounds towards Christmas with very little effort’

By Lynsey Barber, consumer editor

The run up to Christmas can be a stressful and pricey time – but not this year for me.

I’ve made hundreds of pounds extra with very little effort.

Banks give away free cash for moving your current account. I’ve now done it five times over the last 10 months and have stashed £875 in my festive fund.

I bagged £200 from Natwest in November 2023, followed by £150 from Co-op Bank.

Shortly after I moved again to Santander, bagging £175, and then Lloyds for a tidy £175.

Finally, I got £175 from moving to Barclays.

Doing this took very little effort, but does require filling in a few online forms each time. Using the Current Account switching service (CASS) means most of the work is done for you though, and it takes just seven days.

These deals have come and gone over the past year, so take advantage of them while you can.

First Direct is currently giving away £175. Sadly, I can’t get this one to take me past the £1,00 mark, as I already bank with them. But anyone who doesn’t should see if they can cash in for Christmas – after all it’s money for nothing.

‘I’ll be saving a few quid with second-hand wrapping paper’

By Sam Walker, consumer reporter

This year, me and my girlfriend will save a few extra pounds by using old wrapping paper stowed away from birthdays throughout the year.

When it comes to food and drink, we will make sure to not overload the fridge, as that can see the appliance forced into working harder and running less efficiently.

Instead we’ll put any soft and alcoholic drinks outside where they will likely stay cold enough.

A recurring theme among our family in the last two or three years, since my sister had kids, is to only buy presents for them and then do secret santa for the adults, which saves everyone a bit of money.

‘We’ve amassed a £600 cash pot and barely even noticed’

By Tara Evans, head of consumer

Every January, my boyfriend and I set up a plan for how much we want to save for Christmas so when it gets to December we aren’t left worrying how we’ll pay for everything.

This year we agreed on £25 each a month – adding up to a total of £600.

We then use this cash to pay for presents for our loved ones and our one-year-old twins.

We do our weekly shop online at Sainsbury’s and I’ve been saving up our Nectar points to use on our Christmas shop.

So far, we have almost £60 worth of points ready to spend.

In October, I usually start thinking of gift ideas for my family and friends and then keep an eye out for sales.

A big one for me to keep an eye on is Black Friday – the last Friday in November. While there are lots of not so genuine deals there are often good discounts around this time.

For example, my dad has been tracing our family tree for a while and likes to connect with extended family members.

A few years ago I bought him a DNA testing kit which was on sale on Black Friday for half-price.

‘I browse charity shops all year with Christmas in mind’

By Laura Purkess, consumer features editor

Whenever I pop into a charity shop (which is all the time), I’ve always got Christmas at the back of my mind.

Charity shops can be an amazing place to bag a bargain on brand new items.

If you go the bric-a-brac section, you can often find brand new, unopened gift sets for just a couple of pounds, often a fraction of the price from the original store.

And if you know someone who loves books, charity shops are excellent value.

Most sell books for £1 or less, or if it’s a particularly rare or valuable copy, you’re looking at a few quid maximum.

My partner loves reading, so I’m always looking out for nice copies of books I think he’d like and I pop them in a cupboard until the festive season.

When the Emmys air Sunday on ABC, Eugene Levy and Dan Levy will make Emmys history as the first father and son hosting team. Watch our full Emmys preview special.

Already the law 

The post Calling out the ‘asylum seeker contribution’ nonsense appeared first on Gript.

A mistake, in retrospect.

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Thanks to three interceptions from Kai Sniffen and a trio of third-quarter touchdowns, Mitty took down No. 21 Menlo-Atherton on Friday night at Foothill College.

HOSPITALITY worker James Wells couldn’t believe his luck when he stumbled upon a small fortune in forgotten pension pots.

The 47-year-old figured he must have retirement savings somewhere he had forgotten about, but he could never have anticipated unearthing four different pots of cash each worth tens of thousands.

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James Wells stumbled upon £60,000 in lost pension pots[/caption]

James had hopped between hospitality jobs for his whole career, meaning he often switched pensions and had lost track of some along the way.

Last year, the dad-of-two had been thinking it was high time he got started getting his retirement savings in order when he stumbled across the app Penny, which traces your old pots for you.

James, who lives near Swindon, admitted: “I’ve moved around companies quite a bit, and I just lost track of my pension savings.

“I think I found Penny through Martin Lewis‘ Money Saving Expert or maybe even Twitter. It just caught my eye.”

The app, designed to help people consolidate their pension pots, proved to be a game-changer for James.

“I wasn’t particularly looking for it, but when I saw it, I thought, ‘I don’t really know how many pensions I’ve got,’ so I decided to give it a go,” he said.

James soon discovered four different pension pots dating back to 2003, including three with Aviva and one with a firm called Nest.

They all varied by amounts, ranging from £2,000 to a whopping £48,000.

“I was aware of definitely one of them, but I had moved and not changed addresses with the pension providers, so I stopped getting communications from them,” he explained.

James, who started paying into his first pension at 24, had a gap in contributions while he focused on buying a house.

He resumed pension payments at age 30 and has been more diligent with them ever since.

“I never really paid attention to my pensions before, but something triggered recently, and I thought I should find out exactly how much I’ve got.”

The missing pensions problem

James is one of millions of savers estimated to have lost track of old pension pots worth thousands of pounds.

Research earlier this year by provider PensionBee found one in 10 workers – equivalent to more than three million people – believe they’ve lost a pot worth £10,000 or more.

Around £50billion worth of savings is estimated to be “missing” in total.

How James tracked down his old pots

The process was surprisingly straightforward, James told The Sun.

“I put in my personal details, past addresses, and the companies I’d worked for and Penny did the groundwork.”

Within weeks, the app had tracked down all his pensions from past jobs, and James couldn’t believe it.

“Now I can see exactly how much I’ve got and whether they’re going up or down. It’s nice to finally be on top of my pensions,” James said.

You can download the Penny app via your phone’s app store.

How it has helped with his retirement

James is realistic about his retirement plans, but he said this uplift will definitely change his quality of life.

“I think I’ll be working until I’m around 68 or 69 – I might not do the same job and might get paid less, but I’ll definitely be working until government retirement age,” he said.

While it’s not a huge windfall, it’s certainly a boost that will help his quality of life when he retires.

“I think it’s going to boost my government pension and give me an extra however many hundred pounds a month extra, which will certainly help with my quality of life going forward when I retire,” James explained.

James also has other savings, including ISAs for a rainy day, but he finds the Penny app particularly user-friendly.

“The process was very easy. It might have taken me 20 minutes to do, and I didn’t have to write to or phone anybody,” he said.

For those still searching for lost pensions, James has some advice: “Having them all in one place is helpful. Plus if you’re going to change addresses, it’s easier to let one company know rather than four. Plus, you save on fees.”

How does Penny work?

Penny tracks down your pension pots after you provide it with your NI number and any details you have about your old jobs such as the name of your employer, the dates you worked and the name of your pension provider, if you have it.

It automatically combines them into one new pot, which you can view via a dashboard on the app.

The app charges a 0.75% fee for managing your pension but doesn’t charge any extra fees unless you choose to put your money in an “ethical fund”, in which case the charge is 0.78%.

If you decide to go down the route of tracking your old pensions and combining them into a new pot, make sure to ask whether you would be giving up any benefits by doing so.

Some pensions come with valuable benefits attached, such as a guaranteed income or a protected pension age of 55.

Other ways to track down your pensions

There are other services you can use to track down a lost pension, including the Government’s online Pension Tracing Service.

The service is free to use, but only tells you the contact details of your pension provider and doesn’t let you combine and manage pots like Penny.

Pension firm AJ Bell also has a service to locate old pensions and lets you combine them into one pot like Penny.

It takes around four to six weeks to find your pensions.

It is free to use AJ Bell’s pension tracing service, but it will charge you to manage your single pot – depending on what pension you take up, you are charged an up to 0.6% fee.

You could also try ringing your old employers’ HR department to ask for the details of your old pensions.

Provide information like the dates you were employed, as well as your National Insurance number.

Once you have found your old pensions, it may be worth consolidating them into one place so you can keep track of them more easily in future.

Putting all your money into one modern pension scheme could also mean you pay less in fees.

But check with your scheme you won’t lose any valuable benefits by transferring first.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

BBC Breakfast fans faced a switch-up as they tuned in to Saturday’s show.

Regular viewers of the BBC One show – which runs from 6am until 10am every Saturday – are ordinarily greeted by Naga Munchetty, 49, and Charlie Stayt, 62, on the programme’s red sofa.

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BBC Breakfast viewers were left shocked by a presenter shake-up on Saturday[/caption]

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Naga Munchetty was at the helm on Saturday’s episode[/caption]

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Naga was joined by Ben Thompson on the programme’s iconic red sofa[/caption]

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The pair talked about issues including the start of the Lib Dem Party Conference[/caption]

Yet as the episode opened Charlie, who had featured on Friday’s episode, appeared to have been “replaced.”

Instead, it was popular BBC Breakfast anchor Ben Thompson, 43, who was at the helm with Naga.

They discussed issues including the start of the Lib Dem party conference as well as analysing the impact of changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance.

The change came after Naga and Charlie’s regular co-star also disappeared from screen last week.

Carol Kirwood was nowhere to be seen last with – with her weather presenter colleague Matt Taylor forced to step in.

Meanwhile, as well as juggling her Saturday shifts, we reported how Naga was juggling both health battles and a new job with her regular role.

She has bagged a presenter role on the podcast Must Watch.

Must Watch is a Radio 5 podcast starring TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan, writer Hayley Campbell and presenter Nihal Arthanayake.

Scott took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share the news that Naga will be joining their show as their new co-host, replacing Nihal.

He wrote: “Must Watch is back from next Monday at a new time, with a new host.

“Naga Munchetty will be with Hayley and I every Monday taking us through the best (and worst) on television.

“We’ll also be on at a new time, 1pm on Mondays. The podcast is also out each week.”

Scott added: “Just want to thank Nihal for the past five years.

“We will really miss being with you on the air every week. It has been bloody smashing.”

Meanwhile, golf-lover Naga’s health crisis was recently put under the spotlight.

She has been candid about her adenomyosis diagnosis after being forced to take some time off from her hosting duties due to her complex condition.

Adenomyosis is a condition that causes the lining of the womb to bury into the muscular wall of the womb.

Naga previously left her BBC Radio 5 Live listeners in shock when she confessed that as a result of her medical condition she was broadcasting to them in crippling pain each day.

Addressing her condition on the airwaves last May, Naga said: “Right now as I sit here talking to you, I am in pain. Constant, nagging pain.”

She then added: “Every so often the pain changes; it becomes a stabbing pain. A pain that takes my breath away and I can do nothing but sit with it for a minute or curl up to cope.”

Naga went public with her condition after being diagnosed by a private doctor.

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Naga recently bagged a new role away from the BBC Breakfast sofa[/caption]

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Naga has been open about her health battles[/caption]

MISFITS Boxing returns to Newcastle for a stacked card TONIGHT!

And Elle Brooke puts her MFB middleweight world title on the line in the main event against bare knuckle star Jenny “The Tennessee Gangster” Savage.

The last Misfits Boxing show saw YouTuber Danny Aarons and Premier League-winning footballer Danny Simpson battle to a thrilling split draw after four rounds.

Simpson – who won the title with Leicester City in 2016 – took the fight on four week’s notice and both stars called for a rematch after the controversial decision was read.

This time round, Onlyfans star Brooke returns to defend her Misfits Boxing middleweight title.

Brooke was last in action in May against MMA star Paige VanZant, in a fight which controversially ended in a draw despite Brooke dropping VanZant in the first round.

Though in the way in Newcastle is bare knuckle star Savage in what is expected to be Brooke’s toughest challenge yet.

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

When is Misfits Boxing 18?

Misfits Boxing 18 takes place on Saturday, September 14.

The event starts at 7pm with the main event of Brooke vs Savage expected at around 10.30pm.

The Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle plays host.

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What is the full Misfits Boxing 18 card?

A huge card in Newcastle also sees the inaugural Stake Pro tournament featuring Chris Avila, Benson Henderson, Idris Virgo and Fes Batista.

The fighters will have their semi-finals and then the final all in the same night in the North East.

• Elle Brooke (c) vs Jenny Savage (MFB middleweight championship)
• Jully Poca (c) vs Crystal Pittman (MFB cruiserweight championship)
• Stake Pro tournament final
• Chris Avila vs Benson Henderson (Stake Pro tournament semi-final)
• Idris Virgo vs Fes Batista (Stake Pro tournament semi-final)
• Anthony Taylor vs Nahom Wedi
• Joey Knight vs Lil Cracra
• Ashley Rak-Su vs Tristan Hamm
• George Stokey vs Lewis Bowden
• Misfits Kick-offs
• Nikki Hru (c) vs Carla Jade (MFB women’s lightweight championship)
• Big Tobz vs Kelz

How can I watch Misfits Boxing 18?

Misfits Boxing 18 will be broadcast live on DAZN.

The kick-off show will be live on DAZN’s YouTube channel beforehand from 6pm BST.

What has been said?

Co-president of Misfits Boxing, Kalle Sauerland, said: “Elle Brooke will show, yet again, how fearless she is in the massive main event against Jenny Savage, which headlines an undercard that is over-flowing with huge match-ups.

“We’re bringing you two more female title showdowns plus it’s all about the last man standing in the first ever Stake Pro Tournament, featuring four big-hitting light heavyweights.”