Water bill has massively gone up

llh189

In the last 5 years I have lived in three properties, I have always paid roughly £18 per month on a water meter.


18 months ago I bought a house and Anglian Water set my rate for my metered water at £18 as per my historical usage.


6 months after I moved in me and my neighbours were notified that on the 1st April 2013 we were having new meters.


On the 16th Jan my water meter was read by their rep and said 70!


I then received a letter that I misread saying my bill was going up to £36 I thought this sounded a little high but I was run of my feet and going away and I didn't call straight away.


My 1st new DD was taken yesterday and they took £54, when I called to query this they said the letter advised that it was going up by £36.


The lady was really helpful and said not worry as it did indicate that that there was a problem as in little over 6 months I had used 4 times my annual consumption.


She advised that my water meter chamber should be dry and to take a meter reading.


Oddly on Sunday I did note my immediate neighbour reading her meter too.


I got home and took my reading, it is now 77 units, I have about 7 inches of crystal clear water in my chamber, my neighbour has 5 inches of clear water and the chamber of my other neighbour is completely full to the top, although his water is dirty.


I knocked on my neighbours door and asked about her water bill, and hers has double since the reading on the 16th Jan, she is single and lives alone too.


My last "red" number on my dial was going around (albeit slowly ) even though I had no water switched on. I turned my stopcock off and the water meter stopped, I then turned it on and took readings at 10 pm ( my neighbours had now gone to bed as their lights were off) the ready was 77-099, this was the same at 10.30, 11.00 and 11.30. And the same again at 6.45 this morning.


I then had a shower and the water metered had click on, the new reading was the same at 7.15 and 8.30 when I left for work.


when I called Anglian water back I spoke to a rather unhelpful chap, who said the chamber having clear water in it was irrelevant, that the fact my neighbours bill has double since the new meter is also irrelevant and it sounds like I have a leak in the house which I am solely responsible for.


He was unaware that from 10 pm to 6.45 am the meter didn't move even though my stopcock was on.


I checked my toilet cistern, by using food colouring the water bowl didn't discolour, I checked the outside overflows, the garden tap, under the kickboards in the kitchen, my emersion tank and the tank in the loft, and all the taps and shower heads, no drips, leaks or water damage, I have no greener patches of grass or flowers etc.


Anglian water are sending out an man on Friday to see if there is an external leak, but I am worried that little old me won't be able to make them see that the problem only started when my meter was changed, especially as the second Anglian water man I spoke was pretty much saying it couldn't possibly be their problem and was all mine!


Does anyone have any thoughts about how I should proceed now?


Thanks in advance,


Sorry it is so long!


Lisa

notbritishgas

llh189 wrote: »

My last "red" number on my dial was going around (albeit slowly ) even though I had no water switched on. I turned my stopcock off and the water meter stopped, I then turned it on and took readings at 10 pm ( my neighbours had now gone to bed as their lights were off) the ready was 77-099, this was the same at 10.30, 11.00 and 11.30. And the same again at 6.45 this morning.


Lisa

Your test at 10pm and 6.45am seem to indicate that you have not got a leak.
The last "red" number moving slightly could be because you had earlier run some hot water or flushed a toilet and the tank/cistern was just completing its fill up.
You do not say how many people are in your house but the 7 cubic metres used between 16 Jan and was it yesterday 3 Feb indicates a usage of about 140 per year. This is typical for 3 people or 2 very extravagant ones.

When the new meter was fitted did they give you a card with the opening reading and the reading from the old meter? Do those readings tally with the bill.

matelodave

Take daily meter readings for the next week or so to see what your consumption looks like and try to equate them with what you are using (ie when you use the washing machine, dishwasher, shower etc) to try and get a usage pattern - the average person uses about 1 cu.m a week (ie 2 cu.m for 2 people and 3 cu.m for three)
There is always the slight possibility that the old meter was under reading and the new one is now working properly. Was the old one at zero when it was installed - was the reading on it and the old one properly recorded.
It might be the meter is leaking but that should show up as the dial rotating - we had a leak last year and it was obvious that there was something wrong as the little star wheel in the centre of the meter still moved (albeit quite slowly) even when the house stopcock was off - it stopped when the main supply stopcock adjacent to the meter was closed.
I used to check it every couple of months, that's how I discovered the problem - I now do it weekly and record it on a spreadsheet.


The man from AW checked & replaced the meter seals and determined that we had an underground leak.

llh189

Hi Notbritishgas, I live by myself and have do so on and off for 5 years, have kept my bills constant over this time period. I was also away for four nights during this period of the 16th Jan and 03 March.

Cardew

notbritishgas wrote: »

You do not say how many people are in your house but the 7 cubic metres used between 16 Jan and was it yesterday 3 Feb indicates a usage of about 140 per year.

Yesterday was 03 March!

I assume by this statement - 'she is single and lives alone too' - the OP lives alone??


If so the average consumption would be around 1 cubic metre a week.


If your meter reading was 70 on 16 Jan and 77 on 2nd March(6.5 weeks), it appears that your consumption is normal!

llh189

Hi Mateldave,


I did one of those online water checking forms and over estimated all my usage, by 20% and it still said I should be pay roughly £216 a year!


I think I might need to become obsessed with my water meter!


I just fear the difficulty of proving that I neither have a leak, or that my consumption has shot up, I guess the biggest indication of a problem is new meter and my neighbour has the same problems!


My meter reading was zero when it was installed.


Between 1 April 2013 and 18 July 2013 was reading was 18.

Cardew

Further to the above, looking at Anglian's charges for 2013/14 they are:


Water = £30 standing charge and £1.5175 per cubic metre


Full Sewerage = £86 standing charge and £1.647 per cubic metre.


Thus average consumption, for a single person of 55 cubic metres pa, the total cost would be £290* a year - £24 a month.


* £38 pa less if surface water goes to a soakaway.

llh189

Thanks Cardew,


You are spot on with my consumption, the first helpful lady at AW said I have historically had a slightly below average single person consumption record.


My meter reads do not indicate a leak over the last 24 hours, do you have any advice from this point onwards, scarey AW man, said all my points were irrelevant!

matelodave

Have you got any previous bills to to compare your consumption - if so then that's at least a way to start the ball rolling with a request to have the meter either changed or checked. They will threaten you with a charge if it's found that the meter isn't faulty and reading within specification.


When was your meter changed, - if it was early April 2013 to mid Jan 2014 that's about 40 weeks = 1.75 cu.m a week if it reckons you've used 70cu.m which is a bit high. I'd expect it to have been around 40 or a bit less if you are on your own and haven't been filling swimming pools or watering the garden excessively

notbritishgas

Cardew wrote: »

Yesterday was 03 March!

I assume by this statement - 'she is single and lives alone too' - the OP lives alone??


If so the average consumption would be around 1 cubic metre a week.


If your meter reading was 70 on 16 Jan and 77 on 2nd March(6.5 weeks), it appears that your consumption is normal!

Oh dear, where did that month go, thanks Cardew:o
I have redone my maths and it works out to 55 cu metres a year, about average for a single person.