Is it worth paying more for bottled water?

With water so cheap at home, why would you pay more for bottled water, asks Richard Dyson

  Many see bottled water as a planet-destroying indulgence, generating mountains of plastic waste and burning needless oil in transport. And yes, of the 18 billion bottles bought each year in Britain only a quarter are recycled meaning the rest will lie in a landfill site somewhere for the anticipated 450 years it will take them to decompose.

But the environmental debate is for another page. Here we are looking at what you pay for the water you drink and what you get.
What price tap?
Lobby group Tapwater.org which is against the consumption of bottled water reckons British tap water costs 0.09p per litre, or two buckets a penny. By comparison, Tapwater.org claims, the average UK consumer gulps their way through £25,000 of bottled water in a lifetime.
But tap-water costs are relative. Savings-fixated householder Lee Beaumont, 25, made national news last month when he declared in the face of the £14-a-month standing charge being imposed by his supplier Yorkshire Water that he would like to be disconnected from the mains and would instead live entirely on bottled water. By using disposable plates and cups and washing with wet-wipes, he claimed he could limit his water consumption in the form of a £10 multipack of bottled water to less than the cost of the Yorkshire Water supply to his flat.
Few others would be so extreme. But
Mr Beaumont made a valid point, which is that the cost of tap water relates to householders' usage. Because of the fixed-cost element of water supply, households using less will pay more. So it is difficult to accurately price a "glass of tap water".
Also, the cost of tap water is surging. Ofwat, the water watchdog, estimates household water bills have leapt from an average £295 in 2004 to almost £400 this year, and just this week Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, urged water companies to hold back from price increases with the biggest supplier, Thames Water, seeking to push through an 8pc rise.

Still water by the bottle
First, what is it you're buying? An estimated 30pc of supermarket bottled water is tap. As Sainsbury's pointed out in one of its recent "same price, different values" adverts: "Take the water above. One's from Sainsbury's basics range… a spring in Yorkshire, filtered through Greenmoor rock. The other's Tesco Everyday Value. It starts at the mains supply." Tesco's water comes in packs of six 500ml bottles for 63p, or 21p per litre.

Bottled tap water is usually labelled either "table" or "English" water.

Mineral water must originate from an underground source and be safe to drink without treatment. Global brands include Volvic and Evian (both owned by Danone). Researchers say that UK consumers are switching steadily to local brands such as Buxton and Highland Spring. Tesco sells 12 500ml bottles of highland Spring for £3 that's 50p per litre.

Sparkling by the crate

Again, there is sparkling water and then the real deal. Some bottled sparkling water is merely tap with carbon dioxide introduced to add fizz (see below for the costs of DIY carbonation). Or still mineral waters, such as Highland Spring, are carbonated to provide in its own words "a sophisticated spot of fizz". These are cheaper options. Sainsbury's is currently offering two four-packs of 1.5-litre bottles of Highland Spring Sparkling for £5 that's 42p per litre.
Naturally carbonated waters like San Pellegrino and Perrier (both owned by Nestlé) or Badoit (owned by Danone) are at the other end of the scale. They are mineral waters rising from sources where they are carbonated by underground gas. Much mystique surrounds these brands especially French-sourced Perrier, which was marketed mainly in Britain and the United States during the 20th century and as a result the prices are higher. Tesco sells 750ml bottles of Perrier for 96p (that's £1.28 per litre) and packs of six, one-litre bottles of Badoit for £4.98 (83p per litre). A six-pack of one-litre San Pellegrino costs £5.91 (99p per litre).
Addicted to fizz? Go DIY with a carbonator
There are conflicting reports as to whether carbonated water tap water with carbon dioxide forced into it under pressure is bad for the health but, again, that's for another page. Here we're concerned with cost.
SodaStream will ring a nostalgic bell for those who remember the Eighties jingle "get busy with the fizzy". The firm made use of the slogan again in 2010 when updated versions of the devices were launched, and the business's revival has been built largely on consumers' growing anxiety about throwaway bottles. A SodaStream today costs from £50. Each gas cylinder carbonates about 60 litres of water, the equivalent of about 165 drinks cans. A new cylinder costs £21 from Amazon, or you can use SodaStream's postal refill service for £9.99. So, at its cheapest, you could get litter-free fizz at 17p per litre.
This week's bargains
As part of our weekly savvy shopper column for the Daily Telegraph, we pick out some of the best offers of the week.
Tesco

• PG Tips 160 Pyramid teabags, 500g, half price, £2.09. Until 26/11
• Belvita biscuits 300g, buy one get one free, £2.59. Until 26/11
• Tesco Finest pork sausages 400g, buy 2 for £5, £3.19 each. Until 19/11

Sainsbury's

• Coca-Cola 8x330ml, buy 2 for £5, £4.20 each. Until 26/11
• Bertolli Spread 500g, buy one get one free, £1.90. Until 19/11
• Russian Standard Vodka 70cl, was £16, now £10. Until 26/11

Morrison's

• Kellogg's Corn Flakes 750g, half price, £1.34. Until Sunday
• J2O Orange and Passionfruit x4, was £4.29, now £2. Until 17/11

Asda

• Asda Cauliflower, was £1, now £0.60.
• Asda Brown Onions 1.1kg, was £1, now £0.75.

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