Are you eligible for a free water butt, water-saving cistern bag or even wildflower seeds? Find out here.
As we face hotter and drier summers, water companies are helping us conserve water by offering free water-saving devices for our gardens. In preparation for potential summer hosepipe bans and droughts, now is a good time to get ahead of the game and check what your water company offers.
Free water butts, discounted water butts and water-saving kits for the garden, are a few of the water-saving resources on offer. However, there is no single approach that the water companies are taking, so it’s a case of investigating what your water supplier has to offer.
A spokesperson at the Consumer Council for Water said: “We really urge people to check out their water company’s website to see what freebies they can claim from their water company. Even if you can’t get a free or discounted water butt, most companies will offer other free water-saving kits that can help to reduce your use around the home. You’ll also find lots of practical tips and advice on how to save water, energy and money."
With assistance from the Consumer Council for Water, we've put together a guide to the water-saving devices on offer in England and Wales.
If you’re prepared to be patient and eagle-eyed, you might be able to get a free water butt for your garden – but only in some locations. For example, Southern Water announced last year that any customer living in Gurnard on the Isle of Wight would be eligible for a free water butt to combat storm overflows.
Bookmark your local council website and keep checking back regularly to see if they are doing a similar scheme.
Many of the water companies offer discounted water butts via the website. These include: South East Water, United Utilities, Welsh Water and Wessex Water. Although some say they are discounted, these discounts do vary by water company, and depending on the discount, you may be able to buy one more cheaply elsewhere. To see if you're eligible, visit Save Water, Save Money and type in your postcode.
Essex and Suffolk Water and Northumbrian Water partner with a company called Water Butts Direct to offer their customers a discounted butt.
Affinity Water customers can buy gain a “discounted” water butt. The prices are similar to if you bought one from Save Water Save Money, although you do get free delivery.
You may be able to purchase water butts more cheaply from DIY stores, so do your research before you buy. The Range’s Slimline Water Butt and Stand, with a 100-litre capacity retails at £28.99.
Cambridge Water and South Staffs Water are among the suppliers offering free home water-saving products, available through the Get Water Fit website.
Enter your postcode and see if you’re eligible for the gadgets, which include a shower regulator, four-minute shower timer, a Buffaloo cistern bag that saves 2 litres (3.5 pints) of water with every flush, and two 5 litre (9 pint) per minute regulators that fit on most basin taps. Before you can place your order, you’ll need to take a quiz on your water usage. When you’re done, as well as being able to order free water-saving devices, you’ll be given tips on how to reduce your water usage at home.
Similarly, Anglian Water offers both a water saving bathroom kit and a garden water-saving kit. The bathroom kit includes a digital shower timer, a save-a-flush bag that saves 1 litre (1.75 pints) of water each time you flush your toilet, and a leaky loo tablet that dyes your water so you can easily spot whether you have a leak.
The garden kit includes a small bag of SwellGel water-saving crystals to mix into your compost, plus water-storing plant mats, a Water Stick that tells you when a plant needs water, and wildflower seeds. And although Anglian Water doesn’t provide discounts on water butts, it does stock them on its website.
Unlike most other water companies, Thames Water does not offer free water-saving devices to order through the Save Water Save Money site. Instead, it provides free home visits where it will fix leaks and install devices as part of a home water audit, which can offer significant savings for those who use more than 500 litres (110 gallons) a day.
Southern Water offers a similar service and provides free installation and water butts in various areas across its region to help reduce storm overflow. These includes areas such as Havenstreet and Gurnard on the Isle of Wight and Deal in Kent. In other areas Southern Water will fit water butts, if arranged in advance (although they will need to be purchased), and will fit free water-saving devices in your kitchen, bathroom and toilet.
While there are several water suppliers in England and Wales, water in Scotland is provided by just one company, Scottish Water. Scottish Water doesn’t offer free or discounted water butts, but it does provide advice on how to save water in the garden.
In Northern Ireland, sole supplier Northern Ireland Water encourages you to use the aforementioned ‘Get Water Fit’ website, where you can take part in a quiz and receive free water-saving items, including a four-minute shower timer, toothy timers and SwellGel bags for the garden.
