Households with bigger gardens face being penalised with higher water bills under new green plans

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:22, 17 May 2026 | Updated: 19:23, 17 May 2026 Households with bigger gardens could be penalised under new green plans that would see owners paying more costly water bills. Climate change appears to be at the forefront of some water companies who are said to be experimenting with adjusted bills. Smart meters could be included in these plans which would set 'personalised' water consumption targets. As many as 14,000 families in the Home Counties could be among the first in a 'block pricing' trial that would reportedly be carried out by Affinity Water.  Charges are believed to increase in correlation to the increased amount of water they would use.  It would be largest trial of its kind - although the finer details are yet to be clarified, with Affinity confirming they were 'still analysing the water efficiency savings' with their findings published later this year. The water company added that most households had saved money.  A similar trial designed to encourage water saving was previously carried out on nearly 1,500 households between 2023 and 2025. Households with bigger gardens could be penalised under new green plans that would see owners paying more costly water bills In this trial, an initial 30,000 litres of water were provided for free, with charges increasing in 'blocks' according to how much water was consumed. For example, once a house goes beyond the first 'block' of 30,000 litres of water, they are charged £1.51 per litre. After the second 'block' which goes up to 215,000 litres, homes would pay £4.00 per litre. The Telegraph reported that a potential fourth 'block' could be introduced targeting 'very high users'.  However, this would then imply that those with larger gardens or more extensive families would foot a larger bill, according to experts.  Anna Pardoe from the charity Citizens Advice told the paper that was 'essential that any changes to how people are charged for water, such as block pricing, are designed to protect – not penalise – consumers'. She added: 'We’ve seen the real harm poorly designed reforms can cause in other sectors, like energy, as more people seek support from our services. 'Carefully designed safeguards must be implemented to avoid intensifying pressure on groups who have higher water needs, like families and disabled people.' One person typically uses 85,000 litres of water a year, which increase to 110,000 litres for a couple and then 160,000 litres for a family of four.  Another water-saving trial is being put forward by Portsmouth Water who have proposed two schemes with smart meters for 2026 to 2027. The first trial would see households 'pre-paying' a fixed amount based on their expected water usage but cheaper than at current rates. They will then be penalised with a surcharge if they exceed their allotted quantity. Lower rates will also be on offer to households if they reduce their water use to less than what was expected. These water usage predictions are thought to be based on a 'personalised baseline' that could incorporate smart meter data, rather than typical estimates based on postcode-level data or averages so as not to disadvantage certain groups. Portsmouth Water added that growing families among certain other groups may be able to opt out of the scheme. They said: 'We also believe it is essential to build in protections for customers who experience life changes that may affect their water usage.' Making the trials 'fair and inclusive' was a priority and their approach was 'centred on rewarding positive behaviours rather than penalising customers'.  In a report published by the regulator Ofwat, environmental concerns over water consumption was considered a priority, writing that those with 'swimming pools, hot tubs or large-scale sprinkler systems, could be charged a premium for very high use, particularly at times when water is scarce'. The Government has similarly announced efforts to reduce water consumption, aiming to cut usage by 20 per cent per person by 2038. Baroness Brown, the Government's climate change adviser, has also reportedly said that those with larger gardens could be charged more in an effort to cut consumption.  But trust in water companies has plummeted to an all time low after years of scandals, sewage leaks and failures to fix leaks - despite average water bills increasing by 26 per cent in the last 12 months to nearly £650 a year. Last year, the Daily Mail revealed that water company bosses earned £278m over more than a decade, after analysing salaries, pensions, benefits and bonuses earned by 57 chief executives and chief finance officers at Britain’s 11 major water firms over 11 financial years from 2015. And in June, six of England's largest water companies were banned from awarding bonuses to senior executives after failing to tackle sewage and pollution. It comes after Thames Water were fined £122.7 million, the largest penalty the water watchdog has ever issued, after two investigations into wastewater and dividend payments. The utility giant was expected to pay £104.5 million for breaches of rules relating to its wastewater operations, and an extra £18.2 million for breaking rules related to dividend payments. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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