Shocking Bill

Rikki

tootles wrote:

We have this morning, just had a notification from Severn Trent that our direct debit is to increased on 1st March from £14,51 to £22.61 an increase of over 50%. We used to pay over 10 months, but they seem to be incresing it to 12. We are on a water meter and are very frugal with what we use.

We have ot had a statement from them showing our usage since last October, there was nothing but the DD info!!!!!

I really do not know what we can do to use less water, I do not have a dish washer, we use the washing machine only with full loads, we only flush the toilet, which is s dual flush, when the contents are brown, garden watering is done from barrels which take the rain water from the garage, the rain water from the house goes straight into the ground and as we rent the house we cannot divert that......the pension increase we may get in April will not cover this nor the expected increase in council tax, gas and electricity payments which we are warned are coming....just at this moment life stinks!!!!!

I would request a bill with accurate readings so you can see how much water you are using.
I am with severn trent and I pay my bill as it arrives and for the past year It has cost me alot less than you are paying on d/d.

Cardew

Rikki wrote:

I would request a bill with accurate readings so you can see how much water you are using.
I am with severn trent and I pay my bill as it arrives and for the past year It has cost me alot less than you are paying on d/d.

Agreed that getting accurate readings is essential.

However there was a thread a while back about average water charges and if you read it you will see that the average consumption/charges are considerably higher than the OP will be paying.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=50565

The water regulator states that the average consumption is approx 160 litres per person each day. For 2 people that would mean consumption of 117 cu meters pa. At the new Severn Trent rates that would cost a minimum of £222(more if you don't have a soakaway)

Obviously the OP and yourself are atypical users, but the new charge of £22 is not way out of line if there was even a small debit balance.

tootles_2

I managed to get in touch with STW on the phone, the DD statement sent out, 'was computer generated', we were actually in credit, but were told that the water charges would be going up in April, not by 50% I said, oh no....... I have upped the DD to £17 much against my better judgement, I asked when the meter was due to be read, oh sometime this year, we only have to read the meter once a year...................so I await the actual bill with interest in the meantime, I am scrambling around on my hands and kness once a month to read the meter buried deep in the annuals of the earth, the smell eminating from the hole is diabolical..............dead rat ???????? no just the meter.

deanos

You are lucky you only read 1 meter a month , try reading over 250 of them a day !