Big water bill in new house

kenville · 17 October 2014 at 5:13PM

Hello everyone

Firstly to introduce myself. We recently bought our first house. This has been an exciting time for us but also brought some very new experiences.... being a homeowner brings new responsibilities

There's a whole bunch of question I have about different things so I'm looking forward to speaking with posters.

The first things is water bills and possible leaks. Oh dear

In our previous home (rented) where we lived for five year our annual water bill was about £260. It wasn't meter, it was rateable value. We was with Thames Water.

In our new home, we're on a meter and our bill has shot up to about £650 a year. We're now in Essex and have two water suppliers - Essex and Suffolk, and Anglian Water.

Our six month usage came to 127 cubic metres so annually we're looking at 254. That seems way above the high side of use and we're puzzled why our bill can almost treble simply by moving. I know things vary but wow!

We've check for leaks. All i can see is a drip in the toilet cistern and a drip in the cold water tank. Over a two hour period of no water use our meter changed from 244-280 to 244-281. Is that a lot?

Other than that, does anyone have any tips or views on whether this sort of bill is excessively high. We're a couple with two very young children (nursery age).

Thanks!

Cardew · 17 October 2014 at 6:21PM

There is no point in making any comparisons between charges based on Rateable Value and metering.

The UK average is 55 cubic metres, per person, per year; so 220 for the four of you(children use as much!). 254 a year is 15% above average and much of that will be re-educating yourself on conserving water. There are hundreds of websites with tips on saving water,

The water meter moving from 244.280 to 244.281 means you used 1 litre(one thousandth of a cubic metre). Certainly not a big leak - about 4 cubic metres a year.

JJ_Egan · 17 October 2014 at 7:04PM

In my first quarter on a meter i have used 27 cubic meters .
Now ordered the free loo flush water saving stuff from my water companies web site .But only one of me so not sure where the 55/60 average usage comes from .

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth · 17 October 2014 at 7:05PM

Water meter estimated here.

http://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

Our bill shot up recently, this was due to leaky cisterns. Advice from Severn Tren, was to turn off at stop !!!!, next to meter under sink overnight. Do not run toilets or other taps. Take a reading. Then if reading had increased overnight, the problem was in the supply. If the reading was the same, then turn on stop !!!!. If the meter moves on reset, then probably the leak is your side.

Quick trip to the men who wear orange, and some washers for the toilet cisterns will have you sorted. Average is 55 m3 per adult in a year. Also you can reduce the amount of water in the cistern by putting hippos in them, Severn Trent give them away ten a penny!

Oh, also check the over flow pipes as well, on a dry day.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth · 17 October 2014 at 7:06PM

JJ_Egan wrote: »

In my first quarter on a meter i have used 27 cubic meters .
Now ordered the free loo flush water saving stuff from my water companies web site .But only one of me so not sure where the 55/60 average usage comes from .

See my link above. 27 m3 a quarter is average for an adult couple.

kenville · 17 October 2014 at 7:23PM

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Looks like the drip is insignificant then.

I'm shocked water can cost so much. I read somewhere the average bill is about £380 a year. We wash ourselves like everyone else does!

Gas and electric (individually) are cheaper. So is the Sky, phone, broadband package.

Cardew · 17 October 2014 at 7:46PM

kenville wrote: »

I'm shocked water can cost so much. I read somewhere the average bill is about £380 a year. We wash ourselves like everyone else does!

Lucky you don't live in the South West that consumption would be close to double what you pay!

You need to see if you are being charged for Surface Water Drainage(SWD); if so you might be able to claim relief from that element.

Search 'SWD' on this forum, essentially you only pay SWD if rainwater enters the sewerage system instead of a soakaway.

JJ_Egan · 17 October 2014 at 9:04PM

kenville wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Looks like the drip is insignificant then.

I'm shocked water can cost so much. I read somewhere the average bill is about £380 a year. We wash ourselves like everyone else does!

Gas and electric (individually) are cheaper. So is the Sky, phone, broadband package.

But we all waste a lot of water .
Run the tap to get it cold and clear . Flush the loo with gallons after a little dribble .
I was surprised when an accidental google search showed one village in the third world are going to be supplied with 27cubic meters of water for a whole year .

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth · 17 October 2014 at 9:44PM

kenville wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Looks like the drip is insignificant then.

one drip can add a 1/3 on your bill. Ours did in April. Since then has come down considerably.

Cardew · 17 October 2014 at 10:24PM

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

one drip can add a 1/3 on your bill. Ours did in April. Since then has come down considerably.

However the OP measured how much it was leaking - it was 1 litre in 2 hours, thus just over 4 cubic metres a year.

Get it fixed by all means but it hasn't made a large contribution to his high consumption.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case · 17 October 2014 at 11:01PM

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

stop !!!!

Good old MSE profanity filter. Have to call it a stop male chicken instead

Big water bill in new house

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