Cost of taking a hot bath to rise by 90% this year

9 January 2023, 10:51 | Updated: 9 January 2023, 10:55

Young man with face mask relaxing in hot bath with foam — Soaring gas and electricity prices have made hot baths more expensive. . Picture: Alamy

By James Hockaday

Unwinding with a nice hot bath after a long and tiring day is about to get a lot more pricey.

One water company has predicted the annual cost of running them to rise by almost 90% to £1,023 this year, as the cost of living crisis continues to hit families hard.

Households spent 80% more boiling their kettles last year, while the yearly cost of using a dishwasher went up from £133 in 2021 to £237 in 2022, according to research by Yorkshire Water.

Although water rates have stayed the same over the last year, the cost of using it in the home has gone up due to gas and electricity prices rocketing, the company said.

Their calculations found that running a bath is the most expensive domestic use of water, costing £542.88 in 2022 - a 79% rise since 2021 (£303.70).

Following closely behind is using a dishwasher, costing £236.60 in 2022, up from £132.68 the year before. Using a washing machine cost £222.77 in 2022 – an annual increase of 95%.

It cost households £18.69 to boil their kettles in 2022 compared with £10.37 in 2021 – an 80% increase, the research said.

Yorkshire Water’s “Teapot Index” says these costs are predicted to increase by an average of 18% in 2023 while the cost of running a bath is predicted to almost double to £1,023.

Their research said the average household could save £700 a year with steps including halving shower times to four minutes and switching from three baths to five showers a week.

Making sure your washing machine is full before putting a load of laundry on could also save between £66 and £124 a year, the company added.

Emily Brady, of Yorkshire Water, said: “Managing water use in the home is a great way to keep bills down.

“The environmental benefits to saving water are well known, but there are also great cost savings to reducing your usage – especially when it comes to heating water.”