water is my most expensive bill and it falls from the sky

PollySouthend

amiehall wrote: »

Your bill is about double mine and I'm in the South East. I shower at the gym most days and run my washing machine no more than twice a week. I can't really think what else uses water....

I always wonder what other people are doing with it!

Thanks, a post that makes sense. your lifestyle sounds the same as mine and a huge percentage of your bill will just be the standing charge.

Standing charges just seem unfair on the low users, why cant they just build it into the cost per unit.

Cardew

PollySouthend wrote: »

Thanks, a post that makes sense. your lifestyle sounds the same as mine and a huge percentage of your bill will just be the standing charge.

Standing charges just seem unfair on the low users, why cant they just build it into the cost per unit.

Really?

amiehall state she is in the South East.

If she is with South East water her Standing charge is £21.60 per year. http://www.southeastwater.co.uk/your-account/about-your-bill/water-charges#.UnC__EJFDL8

If with Southern Water her standing charges are £26.44 pa water and £20.70 pa sewerage http://www.southernwater.co.uk/at-home/your-bill-and-account/about-your-bill/our-charges/

Huge percentage of bill??

macman

PollySouthend wrote: »

Thanks, a post that makes sense. your lifestyle sounds the same as mine and a huge percentage of your bill will just be the standing charge.

Standing charges just seem unfair on the low users, why cant they just build it into the cost per unit.

Because even if you only use 1 cu m a year, they still have to do the same amount of maintenance work to get the water to your property, as if you used a hundred times that amount.

amiehall

I am with Southern Water. Standing charges comprise over half of my bill.

I don't really disagree with the idea of a standing charge though. Obviously I appreciate having clean running water at my property and would expect them to maintain the network here regardless of how much I use.

matelodave

Anglian Water standing charges are £30 pa for water, £48 for sewerage without surface water, £86 if surface water goes into the sewer

PollySouthend

amiehall wrote: »

I am with Southern Water. Standing charges comprise over half of my bill.

I don't really disagree with the idea of a standing charge though. Obviously I appreciate having clean running water at my property and would expect them to maintain the network here regardless of how much I use.

As I thought standing charges over half of your bill.

I do disagree with standing charges as I don't think they are fair on low users, would rather the maintenance costs were built into the unit cost. With power and gas there is the choice but not with water.

PollySouthend

matelodave wrote: »

Anglian Water standing charges are £30 pa for water, £48 for sewerage without surface water, £86 if surface water goes into the sewer

Anglian water also have a tariff with no standing charge!

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/household/your-account/tariffs/solow/

This is all I want. I feel a letter to ofwat and my MP coming on, with the water companies having a monopoly it seams unfair that some users in some areas can have a tariff without a standing charge and others cant.

victor2

PollySouthend wrote: »

I do disagree with standing charges as I don't think they are fair on low users, would rather the maintenance costs were built into the unit cost. With power and gas there is the choice but not with water.

So you want it literally available on tap, but don't want to pay for that convenience if you choose not to make much use of it?

It's easy, build your own septic tank and a means of dealing with the water that drains off your land. Gather the free water that falls from the sky, build your own little treatment system to make it drinkable (or buy bottled water), then go off line and pay nothing.
The standing charge for the rest of your life will probably work out cheaper, but it'll be one less thing for you to disagree with.

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, the electricity and gas suppliers are phasing out tariffs with a built-in standing charge - good old Ofgem ordered that.

PollySouthend

victor2 wrote: »

So you want it literally available on tap, but don't want to pay for that convenience if you choose not to make much use of it?

It's easy, build your own septic tank and a means of dealing with the water that drains off your land. Gather the free water that falls from the sky, build your own little treatment system to make it drinkable (or buy bottled water), then go off line and pay nothing.
The standing charge for the rest of your life will probably work out cheaper, but it'll be one less thing for you to disagree with.

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, the electricity and gas suppliers are phasing out tariffs with a built-in standing charge - good old Ofgem ordered that.

I want the choice of if maintenance costs built into unit charge or a separate.

Unfair that some water companies offer this and others dont as they have a monopoly.

The standing charge for gas / power can be at 0, so effectively no standing charge in case you had not noticed.

macman

You appear to resent paying a standing charge because you spend 8 weeks a year absent from the property on holiday? Hardly a compelling case.
As pointed out, they don't have a monopoly. Dig your own well, collect and treat your own rainwater, recycle your grey water.
Water is no more a free resource (in it's treated form) than oil or gas is.