Do water companies overestimate usage

wild666

Do water companies overestimate the amount of water a person or family would use. I live alone and they estimated I would use 50 cubic meters of water a year that was May last year, fast forward to march this year and I have used 17.4 cubic meters, their estimate was on about 950 litres a week. I don't overfill bowls and get a shower in about 3 minutes after the water has reached the temperature. I use less water to wash up than I used to, have a wash on a morning rather than a shower. I also use quick washes for the laundry.

RelievedSheff

They estimate your water usage based on an average household of your size. Not everyone uses the same amount of water each day so there will be some such as yourself who use much less and some others who use much more than the estimated amount.

matelodave

The estimate for average consumption is 55cu.m per person a year so they weren't over estimating.

You should only end up paying for what you've used and any overpayment will be credited towards next years . If it's an excessive amount then request a refund. You have the opportunity to read your own meter and to send in meter readings and get your DD changed if you think their estimate is too high.

wild666

Yorkshire water estimated I would use 50cu.m when they fitted mine in May 2019, up to now I have used 17.8cu.m just over a third of their estimate. Roughly that's £25 on water not including standing charges. I don't know why they don't increase the price of the water and do away with standing charges. That way low users will gain and high users will pay more, 75% of my bill will be standing charges. 

Cardew

wild666 said:

Yorkshire water estimated I would use 50cu.m when they fitted mine in May 2019, up to now I have used 17.8cu.m just over a third of their estimate. Roughly that's £25 on water not including standing charges. I don't know why they don't increase the price of the water and do away with standing charges. That way low users will gain and high users will pay more, 75% of my bill will be standing charges. 

Whilst you will pay only £25 for water you will pay £31 for sewerage(if with YW on mains drainage) and possibly another £44.37 for Surface Water Drainage. see: https://www.yorkshirewater.com/media/1466/charges-2019-20.pdf Your water and sewerage standing orders are 'only' £25.

Some would argue that the cost of connecting your property to the water mains, maintaining the water and sewerage infrastructure plus metering, billing etc is the same regardless of how much water is used. So why not have much higher standing charges and cheaper water. 

If your suggestion of no standing charges was adopted, why should a family of, say, 5 people pay 5 times more than you when the cost of water is a small proportion of overall costs.

matelodave

wild666 said:

Yorkshire water estimated I would use 50cu.m when they fitted mine in May 2019, up to now I have used 17.8cu.m just over a third of their estimate. Roughly that's £25 on water not including standing charges. I don't know why they don't increase the price of the water and do away with standing charges. That way low users will gain and high users will pay more, 75% of my bill will be standing charges. 

You could also argue that those who live closer to the water works or sewage plant should pay less than those who live further away as they don't use quite so much pipework. Would you consider that fair as well?

As Cardew points out standing charges are the shared fixed cost of the infrastructure, maintenance and administration and we all have to pay towards it.

The alternative is to drill your own well and sort out your own sewerage disposal which I guess would be much more expensive and certainly less convenient.