Southern Water Meter - Extremely High Bill.

larryuk

I live in a 2 bed apartment with my partner in southampton.

We are on a water meter and when i originally set up my direct debit with southern water they said that the average usage should equate to about £17 a month.

We have been here now for 18 months now and its actually working out at about £45 a month.

Now we both work full time, do about 1 bowl of washing up everyday and 1 load of laundry. We have showers each day and about 1 bath a month.

Doesnt this seem extremely high to anyone else?

Robert5988

Yes extremely high.

THree thoughts:

1. You have a leak after the meter.

2. You are paying for someone else's water - easily done in apartments.

3. Faulty meter.

Easy to check the first two. Note your meter reading exactly when you are going out/or not using water and again when you come in.

Try to do this at times when you know the other apartments in your building are being used.

larryuk

Thanks for the tips I shall try out this week.
Is it worth contacting SW? They were the ones that suggested £17 as an average.

Robert5988

The Direct Debit is really irrelevant; what matters is your consumption as measured by the meter and the standing charges.

Look at your bills and check them against SW’s charges which are available on-line(bear in mind that they will have increased over the last 18 months).

The average consumption for a couple is estimated at 120 cubic meters per year.
If you post the figures from your bill in this thread people will be able to help.

One further thought. Is it possible you had a large debit balance when you switched to a meter and the £45 direct debit is simply paying this off?