Increased garden watering this summer - water bill reduction?

Victor_Delta

My latest water bill (metered, Wessex Water) shows a 50% increase in consumption which is not surprising given the amount of garden watering we've been doing in the few months. In the recent wet summers, our consumption has been pretty consistent with winter usage.

Although we already get a standard 5% reduction in sewerage costs because no surface water goes back to the sewer, it seems totally unreasonable that the sewerage bill should also be increased by 50% just because we've been watering the garden.

Has anyone managed to get their local water company to give them a on-off reduction to cover this situation?

Andy_WSM

No, because there will be entire months throughout every year where you don't water the garden at all and still get the 5% reduction. It's based upon an average over the year.

Cardew

The answer is yes!

I think you are a little confused about the 5% reduction.

The standard deduction in sewerage cost you mention is nothing to do with you watering the garden. That is rain water from gutters etc(surface Water Drainage). If that water enters the sewerage system you are charged. All companies have different methods of making that charge - it is often a fixed charge regardless of how much water you use.

The water companies have an allowance of between 5% and 10%(of water supplied to the house) that is deducted from the sewerage charge. i.e. have 100 cubic metres supplied and you pay for between 90 and 95 cubic metres sewerage.(the amount varies with the company)

Note. some companies reduce the sewerage charge by 5% to 10%, so your bill will show 100 cubic metres for both water and sewerage but the sewerage charge per cubic metre has been reduced by 5% to 10%.

You get this reduction even if you live in a flat with no garden.

There was a much publicised case covered by the media several years ago where a man had a fishing lake that took huge amounts of water.

His initial case was rejected. He then developed a metering device to measure water used for lake and garden; crucially that device was acceptable to the water company.

He then marketed that device and even came on MSE(without permission) to advertise; his posts were deleted.

Apparently the device has been used by people with swimming pools and large gardens.

If you look through the small print of water companies T & C's many(all?) will have provision to increase the 5% to 10% percentage if you can prove, to the water company's satisfaction, that less than the 90% to 95% of supplied water enters the sewerage system you can have a reduction. This is an extract from Anglian water.

Anglian Water - Waste water abatement


For domestic customers, Anglian Water already allow 10% for water that does not go into the main drainage system, for metered customers, this means that usage shown by your meter readings will be used in full for water charges but only 90% of the usage will be used for waste charges.

If you are a commercial customer or can demonstrate that less than 90% of your water is returned to the main sewer, you should contact Anglian Water directly to discuss whether a higher allowance is appropriate for you.