Water billing low

MouldyOldDough

Our water use is approx 16 cu metres per 6 months

Does this seem rather low ?

We (2) live in a large 3 bedroom semi with 2 bathrooms, both of us shower daily - (I take 15 minutes) and the washing machine is used 3 times a week.

We are building up credit

We pay £36 per month and are currently £151 in credit

I don't want to ask the water company - in case they have made a mistake and start to charge us more....

Robin9

Ours -  2 in a 4 bed -  is 40 a year.

Yours looks fine

Are you able to read your meter OK?

MouldyOldDough

Robin9 said:

Ours -  2 in a 4 bed -  is 40 a year.

Yours looks fine

Are you able to read your meter OK?

No - it's under a plate on the pavement in front of the house

I said we were £151 in credit - that money has just been repaid to our bank account

Rodders53

"Average" is 142 litres per day per person.... 142x2x365 = 103,660 litres per year.  104 cu m pa. 

So your 32 cu m pa is well bellow average.

We two used 36 cu m last year (June to June); but we use harvested rainwater to flush toilets, wash car and water plants - until the underground store runs low when we have to use mains water - and that saves us a lot of water (but uses electricity to run the pump).

Ideally get someone to check read the meter for you occasionally if you can't do it yourself.  But most water companies read the meter annually and they don't usually make mistakes.

MouldyOldDough

Rodders53 said:

"Average" is 142 litres per day per person.... 142x2x365 = 103,660 litres per year.  104 cu m pa. 

So your 32 cu m pa is well bellow average.

We two used 36 cu m last year (June to June); but we use harvested rainwater to flush toilets, wash car and water plants - until the underground store runs low when we have to use mains water - and that saves us a lot of water (but uses electricity to run the pump).

Ideally get someone to check read the meter for you occasionally if you can't do it yourself.  But most water companies read the meter annually and they don't usually make mistakes.

They have read the meter 
The readings are genuine and low 

QrizB

MouldyOldDough said:

Rodders53 said:

"Average" is 142 litres per day per person.... 142x2x365 = 103,660 litres per year.  104 cu m pa. 

So your 32 cu m pa is well bellow average.

We two used 36 cu m last year (June to June); but we use harvested rainwater to flush toilets, wash car and water plants - until the underground store runs low when we have to use mains water - and that saves us a lot of water (but uses electricity to run the pump).

Ideally get someone to check read the meter for you occasionally if you can't do it yourself.  But most water companies read the meter annually and they don't usually make mistakes.

They have read the meter 
The readings are genuine and low 

Of course they might be reading the wrong meter!

MouldyOldDough

QrizB said:

MouldyOldDough said:

Rodders53 said:

"Average" is 142 litres per day per person.... 142x2x365 = 103,660 litres per year.  104 cu m pa. 

So your 32 cu m pa is well bellow average.

We two used 36 cu m last year (June to June); but we use harvested rainwater to flush toilets, wash car and water plants - until the underground store runs low when we have to use mains water - and that saves us a lot of water (but uses electricity to run the pump).

Ideally get someone to check read the meter for you occasionally if you can't do it yourself.  But most water companies read the meter annually and they don't usually make mistakes.

They have read the meter 
The readings are genuine and low 

Of course they might be reading the wrong meter!

Unlikely but possible - there are two meters under cast iron covers by each other for us and next door

matelodave

Why cant you go out and read it yourself to check that the readings are correct

MouldyOldDough

matelodave said:

Why cant you go out and read it yourself to check that the readings are correct

I am disabled (mobility problems)

MouldyOldDough

I assume that if the water company has made a mistake - and have undercharged us for some reason - they are limited in the amount / time that they can reclaim the missing money ?

QrizB

MouldyOldDough said:

I assume that if the water company has made a mistake - and have undercharged us for some reason - they are limited in the amount / time that they can reclaim the missing money ?

Six years in England and Wales, as I understand it.