Water bills cost cutting article

swiftlyspent

i realised i was on a meter when i moved into my property but cant say ive noticed a difference in prices as i used to pay monthly anyway but i will definitely take notice on my nxt bill

serendipity2706

Does anyone know the situation in Scotland? I live alone in a 4 bed house (in Scotland) but have twice been told by the water company that I can't have a meter. I know it is worked out differently here, but does anyone know why I need to pay £200 more than someone in England or Wales, particularly as copious amounts of rain is one of Scotland's "assets"??

Cardew

If the water company cannot fit a meter, then you can have an assessed charge. For one person this will be low.

I believe SW England have the highest water charges in UK.

Most households in England, Wales and Scotland can have a meter fitted for free. However, there are circumstances when a water company can refuse to install a meter if it is unreasonably impractical or expensive to do so - if shared water supply pipes need to be separated, for example.
If it is impossible to have a meter installed, then your water company should offer you an 'assessed charge' where you pay a bill based on an estimate of your water supply usage or what other metered customers in your area pay, or you can carry on paying an unmeasured bill based on the rateable value of your property.

ecoelle

Hey all just a quick comparison really I live with my partner in the east midlands, supplied by severn trent water, We are on a water meter as it was there when we bought the house. We are paying £38 a month for water and all the charges that go with it. We only take showers as don't have a bath, we have a washing machine, probably do 3 loads a week on the economy cycle, i wash up once a day and water the garden in the summer froma water butt. Does anyone else think the charges are a lot more than others on here? what am i doing wrong?

noonesperfect

ecoelle wrote: »

Hey all just a quick comparison really I live with my partner in the east midlands, supplied by severn trent water, We are on a water meter as it was there when we bought the house. We are paying £38 a month for water and all the charges that go with it. We only take showers as don't have a bath, we have a washing machine, probably do 3 loads a week on the economy cycle, i wash up once a day and water the garden in the summer froma water butt. Does anyone else think the charges are a lot more than others on here? what am i doing wrong?

Well we're with a different water supplier but yours does sound a bit steep.
How long have you been in that house? Maybe it's still based on the previous owners. If it's your first year they will always charge over the odds, they refund you if you've less than they estimated. The second and subsequent years alter according to your usage. It sounds like you probably use a similar amount to us, though we use a dishwasher also (14 litres a cycle so not wasteful; x 4 a week) and we're paying £18.21 a month. That could all alter in march though!

Cardew

ecoelle wrote: »

Hey all just a quick comparison really I live with my partner in the east midlands, supplied by severn trent water, We are on a water meter as it was there when we bought the house. We are paying £38 a month for water and all the charges that go with it. We only take showers as don't have a bath, we have a washing machine, probably do 3 loads a week on the economy cycle, i wash up once a day and water the garden in the summer froma water butt. Does anyone else think the charges are a lot more than others on here? what am i doing wrong?

How much water do you use?

The average for a couple is 120 cubic metres a year(60 cu mtrs each)

Also how many months in the year do you pay the £38? ST often have you paying for 9 or 10 months.

For 120 cu mtrs with ST you should pay approx £260 a year + surface water drainage if you are charged for that service(£26 to £77pa depending on type of property)

ecoelle

After reading those i think we're definately paying too much! We don't use a huge amount, i don't see where we can cut it though. Anyone got any water saving tips, i already use a bottle filled with water in the cystern to reduce the flush on the loo, don't leave taps running and try to be eco friendly but i'm sure there are more tips out there. Thanks

ecoelle

will phone severn trent now!

ecoelle

Hey there, got all the bills out on saynoto0870 then rang and got through to a bloke who was very helpful. Explained that i can't afford the bills, he was very understanding, and as we are in credit agreed to know the monthly direct debit down to £20 then we can reassess in a few months. We're going to try and save as much water as we can and hope that the credit last long enough to cover us. Thanks for all the help this thread has been very useful, cheers guys

sid1211

I believe it's 3 children under 16 or in full time education, or a child with special needs and you must be connected to a water meter. This allows you unlimited water use at a fixed monthly rate. Be aware though, the water authorities don't advertise this and you may have to delve/be put on hold for long periods!!