Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

Beki

Oooooooh! We HAVE got water butts! Why did it not occur to me to fill the trough/buckets with it???? Thank you!

bertiebots

Beki...that sounds like a humungas bill even with the usage you mentioned for water. If I were you I would ask them to check your meter. We are on a water meter and our bills are around £70 per quarter (family of 5) even if we trippled it it wouldnt come close to your bill. Do you have a leak?

Beki

Oooh i don't know! I hadn't even thought about a leak. The thing is, they came and checked the meter not long ago.

When we moved in last march ('07) there was water literally pumping out of the drain cover in our back garden. We asked the water board to have a look at it and they said it was just water running off from the field and the drains were overloaded (it had been a VERY wet winter/spring here) - the garden was almost underwater so it kind of made sense.

I wonder if we *have* got a leak? Definitely something worth getting checked out, now i've seen how our bill compares with yours!!! Thanks for the heads-up xxxx

Pandora123_2

Beki wrote: »

* as bulbs blow, replace with energy bulbs (already have 3 in place)

If your fittings will take the standard energy-saver bulbs, I think you'd be better off replacing them all now instead of waiting for the incandescent ones to blow. anguk mentioned the energy saver ones are on special offer at Morrisons at the moment... 3 for £1.

You might also want to consider buying one of those energy meters, which will show you how much appliances are costing to run. Also don't leave your tv, computer, cable box etc on stand-by... turn them off at the wall when not in use.

Clothes irons are also very juicy on the leccy.

newlywed

Aldi have some microfiber blankets in for £8.99. 170cm x 200cm. In case anyone wants to know

Daisymac_2

Beki wrote: »

Oooh i don't know! I hadn't even thought about a leak. The thing is, they came and checked the meter not long ago.

When we moved in last march ('07) there was water literally pumping out of the drain cover in our back garden. We asked the water board to have a look at it and they said it was just water running off from the field and the drains were overloaded (it had been a VERY wet winter/spring here) - the garden was almost underwater so it kind of made sense.

I wonder if we *have* got a leak? Definitely something worth getting checked out, now i've seen how our bill compares with yours!!! Thanks for the heads-up xxxx

You def need to check into that water bill, we use loads of everything, leccy, oil etc, our water bill is £23 per month on DD and we never end up owing them more, I have a friend who runs a large pub which is open all day every day, with glasswashers, taps, toilets, kitchen etc all using loads of water and her bill is about half what you are paying - HTH

Magentasue

Family of six - baths only, no shower - £35 a month. We're not wasteful but not that frugal either. We have two water butts and a small garden so use very little outside the house.

moneysavingfamilycomp

we have a save a flush that my son got free from a freebie site sorry dont know what it was now but on the bag it says severn trent water www.stwater.co.uk/playingyourpart You could check there website or google it im sure other places will do them too. its a plastic bag which contains gel crystals you put it in your toilet cistern and it swells up so that when you flush the toilet you use 1 litre less water i know its not much but if you have more than one toilet and lots of people using them it will soon make a difference.

Beki

I've also heard of people putting a brick or two in the cistern to save on flush water

cw18

The one in my cloakroom has a coffee jar with plastic lid I filled with water (not sure if I used a 200g or 300g). I do now have the things from severn water, and the main bathroom now has one of those -- must change over the cloakroom to use of those when I can be bother to fish out the glass jar