Southern Water Meter Price Hike

Birdcake

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum! I'll keep it simple and refrain from babbling on.

I've a problem with our Southern Water bill.

We had a water meter outside our tiny 2 up 2 down terraced house on 18th September 2014.

Today we received a bill from Southern Water. Which said the following:

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Your meter readings

Meter reading when we turned on your water - 18 Sept 2014 (51)
Meter reading after three months - 31 Dec 2014 (104)

Total volume of water used (1m3 = 1,000 litres) (53m3)


Since we turned on your meter, the average daily water useage for your household = 505 litres. The average person uses 150 lites a day.


Your first metered bill will be in three months time

- Your first half-yearly metered bill will be around £346
(If you keep using the same amount of water)

- Your total spend for the year will be around £692

- If your were still getting your old bill it would be £269 for the year

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That's a jump from £269 to £692! That seems a bit steep for a little terraced house with 2 thrifty adults living in it.

Has anyone else been in the same situation with Southern Water?

matelodave

First of all the size of your house generally has no bearing on the amount of water you use. It's the number of people and how much each of them uses or wastes. We get away with about 180 litres a day for the two of us and we are at home all day so your 505/day sounds like a lot (more than three average people's worth) How many are living there.

Second, did you check the meter was at zero when it was installed. Have you been checking that you don't have any leaks and finally have you actually checked your meter yourself to ensure that the amount of water you've used actually corresponds to the meter reading on the bill - ie make sure it's not an estimate and not a mistake.

It's only by reading the meter yourself regularly and getting a feel for how much you are using that you can actually do something about your consumption. Monitor it regularly for a few weeks and determine when you are using it all and then take steps to reduce it

There are lots of ways you can reduce your consumption, don't let water run down the sink when washing and rinsing stuff or cleaning your teeth. Only use the washing machine & dishwasher with full loads. Don't stand in the shower for more than 5 minutes at a time. Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need. Flow restrictors on the taps and shower will reduce the volume of water being used.

lovingthedeals

You probably had a really low RV unmetered charge as £269 year was a very cheap bill. Now you have a meter you pay for what you use just like gas & electricity. Baths, power or forceful showers, pressure washers & using water in the garden can make your useage high but their are lots of devices you can buy to lower your usage. Also ask about their changeover tariff which is a reduction in the metered charge for the first 2 years if you've had a low RV charge previously.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

OK, the average use per person a year is 55m3. OP does not tell us how many people live at the address. So cannot say if this is a leak. Usage suggest 4 people living at the address

Here is what to do.

Check water meter calculations here
http://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

OK, so if it is a leak

Overnight turn off the stop tap and take a reading. Do not flush any toilet or use water overnight. In the morning take another reading. If this is lower, then there could be a leak in the supply pipe. (Unlikely)

Turn on stop tap. If there is an inrush of water, there is a leak on your side. These are probably cisterns, such as the toilets, hot water and central heating cisterns. Check these one by one. Also time to check that leaking tap as well!