Water Bill

shoresybulldog

Hi guys. Joined the MSE forum because I have a question about my recent water bill and wanted to get some advice. It’s a bit long but wanted to include as much detail as possible. 

My bills are 6 monthly and I get an actual reading in May and estimated in November. I have just had my May bill and whilst I expected an increase in my DD due to the recent increase in charges, I noticed it had gone up by £30 a month. When I checked my usage it showed my usual water usage had doubled. 

I have gone through all my statements since May 2020 and I have never used more than 88m3 of water in a 6 month period (88m3 was 3 years ago). Most bills are around 65-70 every 6 months. When working out between a May and May where my actual readings are done across the last 5 years, I used around 130m3 approx. My usage between November and May is 127m3 so it’s basically doubled. With every bill, I’m charged around £200-£220 for 6 months usage but my current bill for the same period was £410. Both my partner and I were both a bit shocked because we haven’t changed any habits. 

Washing machine is on at least once a day, dishwasher about 3 times a week, 4 showers daily 2 adults 2 teenagers), rinsing plates in the sink and using, boiler in the winter and sinks and toilets etc. This is nothing new and doing this is usually around our normal water usage of 65m3 across 6 months. Only thing I have done different is jet wash the patio last month. 

I’ve checked my meter and it’s not spinning when all the water is off, when I use water, it’s spinning suggesting it’s working correctly. Meter reading is correct. Boiler doesn’t lose pressure and I’ve checked all the taps and pipes for leaks and cannot see anything. I’ve checked the toilet is not overflowing and whilst there is the tiniest of dribbles coming from the tank into the bowl (it’s really slow and ridiculously small), there is absolutely no way this would equate to same the amount of water I use in a day using my appliances and showers etc thus doubling my usage. I went out Sunday and checked my meter and came back 3 hours later and the reading was exactly how I left it when I came back. Hadnt moved a millimetre so I know the meter isnt moving when nothing is being used (including toilet). I have called south staffs water who said they don’t have any raw data to see spikes but admitted the spike was unusual so have requested an engineer just to rule out any issues or leaks etc. I’m fine with paying it but it doesn’t sit right that it’s doubled with no change in habits and even SSW saying it is also unusual based on previous bill history. Is there anybody that has had a the same issue and what they did or any other possible causes. Thanks in advance. 

MattMattMattUK

shoresybulldog said:

Hi guys. Joined the MSE forum because I have a question about my recent water bill and wanted to get some advice. It’s a bit long but wanted to include as much detail as possible. 

My bills are 6 monthly and I get an actual reading in May and estimated in November. I have just had my May bill and whilst I expected an increase in my DD due to the recent increase in charges, I noticed it had gone up by £30 a month. When I checked my usage it showed my usual water usage had doubled. 

I have gone through all my statements since May 2020 and I have never used more than 88m3 of water in a 6 month period (88m3 was 3 years ago). Most bills are around 65-70 every 6 months. When working out between a May and May where my actual readings are done across the last 5 years, I used around 130m3 approx. My usage between November and May is 127m3 so it’s basically doubled. With every bill, I’m charged around £200-£220 for 6 months usage but my current bill for the same period was £410. Both my partner and I were both a bit shocked because we haven’t changed any habits. 

Washing machine is on at least once a day, dishwasher about 3 times a week, 4 showers daily 2 adults 2 teenagers), rinsing plates in the sink and using, boiler in the winter and sinks and toilets etc. This is nothing new and doing this is usually around our normal water usage of 65m3 across 6 months. Only thing I have done different is jet wash the patio last month. 

I’ve checked my meter and it’s not spinning when all the water is off, when I use water, it’s spinning suggesting it’s working correctly. Meter reading is correct. Boiler doesn’t lose pressure and I’ve checked all the taps and pipes for leaks and cannot see anything. I’ve checked the toilet is not overflowing and whilst there is the tiniest of dribbles coming from the tank into the bowl (it’s really slow and ridiculously small), there is absolutely no way this would equate to same the amount of water I use in a day using my appliances and showers etc thus doubling my usage. I went out Sunday and checked my meter and came back 3 hours later and the reading was exactly how I left it when I came back. Hadnt moved a millimetre so I know the meter isnt moving when nothing is being used (including toilet). I have called south staffs water who said they don’t have any raw data to see spikes but admitted the spike was unusual so have requested an engineer just to rule out any issues or leaks etc. I’m fine with paying it but it doesn’t sit right that it’s doubled with no change in habits and even SSW saying it is also unusual based on previous bill history. Is there anybody that has had a the same issue and what they did or any other possible causes. Thanks in advance. 

It does sound as if you have a leak. Looking at the meter not spinning when not using water is not really enough unless the leak was substantial. What you need to do first is check the meter over a period of several hours when no water has been used, so say when you are out of the house for a day so there is a twelve hour period that can be checked against, even three hours might not be enough.

The next thing to do is ideally try and take daily reads for a couple of weeks, to see if there are any random spikes in usage that could indicate something, eg. the dishwasher has a problem that means instead of using 40 litres of water it now uses 100 litres per cycle. There might be something that only gets stuck occasionally, so the toilet getting stuck flowing sometimes but not all the time. 

If all that fails then you might need to check a known volume of usage against what is recorded on the meter. 

shoresybulldog

My daughters and partner will be out of the house tomorrow night staying over at families house so the house will be empty. Based on what you said, I’m going to check the meter before bed and then check in the morning when I wake up to see if it’s moved. That will be around 7-8 hours of no usage due to being in bed. When I left for a few hours Sunday, it hadn’t moved a milimetre and all the numbers were in the same same position (I took photos).  I’ve intermittently checked it since Saturday when I had the bill and the reading was 3593 when the reading was done on the 22nd and it was 3595 when I checked it this morning at 7am so that’s a week now. The 6 monthly bill is over 190 days approx so my normal usage is around 0.34m3 a day when you spread it out. Usage so far across the 7 days is around 0.30m3 approx so usage is similar at the moment. Dishwasher was been on once, washing machine twice, several showers etc. I have noticed recently that my daughters are in the shower for ages and I’m usually not home from work when they have their usual one so I have said they need to cut that down because I dread to imagine if some days it’s they use a baths worth of water when I’m not there 😂. 

I’m fully aware I could have just had a heavy 6 months and that’s fine but given history, it doesn’t make sense and just seems very unusual given it’s doubled almost exactly so it’s to ringing alarm bells that something MAYBE up. I’m obsessed with checking the meter at the moment and choking it at least twice a day ☹️

shoresybulldog

MattMattMattUK said:

shoresybulldog said:

Hi guys. Joined the MSE forum because I have a question about my recent water bill and wanted to get some advice. It’s a bit long but wanted to include as much detail as possible. 

My bills are 6 monthly and I get an actual reading in May and estimated in November. I have just had my May bill and whilst I expected an increase in my DD due to the recent increase in charges, I noticed it had gone up by £30 a month. When I checked my usage it showed my usual water usage had doubled. 

I have gone through all my statements since May 2020 and I have never used more than 88m3 of water in a 6 month period (88m3 was 3 years ago). Most bills are around 65-70 every 6 months. When working out between a May and May where my actual readings are done across the last 5 years, I used around 130m3 approx. My usage between November and May is 127m3 so it’s basically doubled. With every bill, I’m charged around £200-£220 for 6 months usage but my current bill for the same period was £410. Both my partner and I were both a bit shocked because we haven’t changed any habits. 

Washing machine is on at least once a day, dishwasher about 3 times a week, 4 showers daily 2 adults 2 teenagers), rinsing plates in the sink and using, boiler in the winter and sinks and toilets etc. This is nothing new and doing this is usually around our normal water usage of 65m3 across 6 months. Only thing I have done different is jet wash the patio last month. 

I’ve checked my meter and it’s not spinning when all the water is off, when I use water, it’s spinning suggesting it’s working correctly. Meter reading is correct. Boiler doesn’t lose pressure and I’ve checked all the taps and pipes for leaks and cannot see anything. I’ve checked the toilet is not overflowing and whilst there is the tiniest of dribbles coming from the tank into the bowl (it’s really slow and ridiculously small), there is absolutely no way this would equate to same the amount of water I use in a day using my appliances and showers etc thus doubling my usage. I went out Sunday and checked my meter and came back 3 hours later and the reading was exactly how I left it when I came back. Hadnt moved a millimetre so I know the meter isnt moving when nothing is being used (including toilet). I have called south staffs water who said they don’t have any raw data to see spikes but admitted the spike was unusual so have requested an engineer just to rule out any issues or leaks etc. I’m fine with paying it but it doesn’t sit right that it’s doubled with no change in habits and even SSW saying it is also unusual based on previous bill history. Is there anybody that has had a the same issue and what they did or any other possible causes. Thanks in advance. 

It does sound as if you have a leak. Looking at the meter not spinning when not using water is not really enough unless the leak was substantial. What you need to do first is check the meter over a period of several hours when no water has been used, so say when you are out of the house for a day so there is a twelve hour period that can be checked against, even three hours might not be enough.

The next thing to do is ideally try and take daily reads for a couple of weeks, to see if there are any random spikes in usage that could indicate something, eg. the dishwasher has a problem that means instead of using 40 litres of water it now uses 100 litres per cycle. There might be something that only gets stuck occasionally, so the toilet getting stuck flowing sometimes but not all the time. 

If all that fails then you might need to check a known volume of usage against what is recorded on the meter. 

I forgot to quote you when replying but rather than put the whole reply again, see my new comment. Thank you for your reply as well. Appreciated 

MattMattMattUK

shoresybulldog said:

My daughters and partner will be out of the house tomorrow night staying over at families house so the house will be empty. Based on what you said, I’m going to check the meter before bed and then check in the morning when I wake up to see if it’s moved. That will be around 7-8 hours of no usage due to being in bed. When I left for a few hours Sunday, it hadn’t moved a milimetre and all the numbers were in the same same position (I took photos).  I’ve intermittently checked it since Saturday when I had the bill and the reading was 3593 when the reading was done on the 22nd and it was 3595 when I checked it this morning at 7am so that’s a week now. The 6 monthly bill is over 190 days approx so my normal usage is around 0.34m3 a day when you spread it out. Usage so far across the 7 days is around 0.30m3 approx so usage is similar at the moment. Dishwasher was been on once, washing machine twice, several showers etc. I have noticed recently that my daughters are in the shower for ages and I’m usually not home from work when they have their usual one so I have said they need to cut that down because I dread to imagine if some days it’s they use a baths worth of water when I’m not there 😂. 

You will find that increased shower usage will reflect far more in your energy bills than in your water bills, although the volume change will show the actual cost will still be low in comparison to the increased energy usage. Are you on a smart meter for energy usage? Are your current energy reads based on Smart, Actual or Estimated readings?

shoresybulldog said:

I’m fully aware I could have just had a heavy 6 months and that’s fine but given history, it doesn’t make sense and just seems very unusual given it’s doubled almost exactly so it’s to ringing alarm bells that something MAYBE up. 

You mention daughters who like long showers, that really can involve a lot of water usage, it can be amazing how much water some people use for a shower. My brother in law will empty the tank, he will stay in the shower until the hot water runs out, I have no idea how bad he would be if he lived somewhere with a combi boiler!

matelodave

You will be surprised at how much water a shower can get through - especially deluge type showers which can dump 10-15litres a minute - ten minutes = 100-150 litres which is more than a bath full. Try timing how long it takes to fill a ten litre bucket and if its less than a minute you need to do something to reduce the flow volume

You could try fitting a flow restrictor to reduce the flow to around 6lpm or fit an Eco shower head. which entrains air which improves the experience. We took the EcoCamel shower head out of our caravan and get a satisfying shower at just 6 litres a minute. My granddaughter can still empty our 200 litre hot water tank though.

Try getting them to limit shower time to five minutes - get a shower timer (or fit a slot meter 

shoresybulldog

matelodave said:

You will be surprised at how much water a shower can get through - especially deluge type showers which can dump 10-15litres a minute - ten minutes = 100-150 litres which is more than a bath full. Try timing how long it takes to fill a ten litre bucket and if its less than a minute you need to do something to reduce the flow volume

You could try fitting a flow restrictor to reduce the flow to around 6lpm or fit an Eco shower head. which entrains air which improves the experience. We took the EcoCamel shower head out of our caravan and get a satisfying shower at just 6 litres a minute. My granddaughter can still empty our 200 litre hot water tank though.

Try getting them to limit shower time to five minutes - get a shower timer (or fit a slot meter 

Yeah I realised the other weekend that they were in there for ages. As I say, they have showers when they get home from school when we aren’t there so no telling how long they spend in there so I know it could be one of the reasons but if they have been doing it like that recently then they have been doing it for the last 2 years which again doesn’t make sense as previous bills are much lower. Going to test the meter over night tomorrow when nobody is home to see if it’s moving overa longer period.. Checked it tonight and reads the same as yesterday so it’s gone up by 2m3 since the bill reading on 22nd which is averaging what we normally use so at the moment, nothing is suggesting leaks but want to rule everything out before I say it was just a bad 6 months. 

shoresybulldog

MattMattMattUK said:

shoresybulldog said:

My daughters and partner will be out of the house tomorrow night staying over at families house so the house will be empty. Based on what you said, I’m going to check the meter before bed and then check in the morning when I wake up to see if it’s moved. That will be around 7-8 hours of no usage due to being in bed. When I left for a few hours Sunday, it hadn’t moved a milimetre and all the numbers were in the same same position (I took photos).  I’ve intermittently checked it since Saturday when I had the bill and the reading was 3593 when the reading was done on the 22nd and it was 3595 when I checked it this morning at 7am so that’s a week now. The 6 monthly bill is over 190 days approx so my normal usage is around 0.34m3 a day when you spread it out. Usage so far across the 7 days is around 0.30m3 approx so usage is similar at the moment. Dishwasher was been on once, washing machine twice, several showers etc. I have noticed recently that my daughters are in the shower for ages and I’m usually not home from work when they have their usual one so I have said they need to cut that down because I dread to imagine if some days it’s they use a baths worth of water when I’m not there 😂. 

You will find that increased shower usage will reflect far more in your energy bills than in your water bills, although the volume change will show the actual cost will still be low in comparison to the increased energy usage. Are you on a smart meter for energy usage? Are your current energy reads based on Smart, Actual or Estimated readings?

shoresybulldog said:

I’m fully aware I could have just had a heavy 6 months and that’s fine but given history, it doesn’t make sense and just seems very unusual given it’s doubled almost exactly so it’s to ringing alarm bells that something MAYBE up. 

You mention daughters who like long showers, that really can involve a lot of water usage, it can be amazing how much water some people use for a shower. My brother in law will empty the tank, he will stay in the shower until the hot water runs out, I have no idea how bad he would be if he lived somewhere with a combi boiler!

MattMattMattUK said:

shoresybulldog said:

My daughters and partner will be out of the house tomorrow night staying over at families house so the house will be empty. Based on what you said, I’m going to check the meter before bed and then check in the morning when I wake up to see if it’s moved. That will be around 7-8 hours of no usage due to being in bed. When I left for a few hours Sunday, it hadn’t moved a milimetre and all the numbers were in the same same position (I took photos).  I’ve intermittently checked it since Saturday when I had the bill and the reading was 3593 when the reading was done on the 22nd and it was 3595 when I checked it this morning at 7am so that’s a week now. The 6 monthly bill is over 190 days approx so my normal usage is around 0.34m3 a day when you spread it out. Usage so far across the 7 days is around 0.30m3 approx so usage is similar at the moment. Dishwasher was been on once, washing machine twice, several showers etc. I have noticed recently that my daughters are in the shower for ages and I’m usually not home from work when they have their usual one so I have said they need to cut that down because I dread to imagine if some days it’s they use a baths worth of water when I’m not there 😂. 

You will find that increased shower usage will reflect far more in your energy bills than in your water bills, although the volume change will show the actual cost will still be low in comparison to the increased energy usage. Are you on a smart meter for energy usage? Are your current energy reads based on Smart, Actual or Estimated readings?

shoresybulldog said:

I’m fully aware I could have just had a heavy 6 months and that’s fine but given history, it doesn’t make sense and just seems very unusual given it’s doubled almost exactly so it’s to ringing alarm bells that something MAYBE up. 

You mention daughters who like long showers, that really can involve a lot of water usage, it can be amazing how much water some people use for a shower. My brother in law will empty the tank, he will stay in the shower until the hot water runs out, I have no idea how bad he would be if he lived somewhere with a combi boiler!

I have a smart energy meter and sends readings every 30 mins so readings are accurate all of the time. I’m probably using approx £1-£1.50 a day on gas currently (combi boiler to heat the water) depending on how many showers are happening but usually 4 showers a day most days. I’ve told the girls they need to literally do what they need to do in the shower and come out. Any shaving is to be done before without the shower run I g whilst they do it. I’ve checked the meter tonight when I got home from work and reads the same as last night @ 3595 (reading on 22nd was 3593) so used 2m3 which is averaging normal usage currently.  Washing machine has been on 4 times, dishwasher once and then toilets and rinsing etc so looks fine currently but checking tomorrow night when nobody home so I’ll report back on that.  

otb666

Has your water company got an online facility. I can view hourly reads on our online account and can drill down to monthly/weekly /daily/hourly usage.  I check online most days as we come in around 280 litres a day my young adult can use anywhere between 150-200 for a shower. When they were not feeling well they managed 5 showers in a day trying to clear nostrils. They only did this for a few days and that doubled our water usage for the week. My daily usage in m3 goes from 0.05 to 0.3 weekly 1.5 to 2.60 m3.  We used to pay 21pm and now its 55pm.  I rarely use taps now without a bowl to catch and reuse the water now and have buckets outside to catch rainwater.

shoresybulldog

MattMattMattUK said:

shoresybulldog said:

Hi guys. Joined the MSE forum because I have a question about my recent water bill and wanted to get some advice. It’s a bit long but wanted to include as much detail as possible. 

My bills are 6 monthly and I get an actual reading in May and estimated in November. I have just had my May bill and whilst I expected an increase in my DD due to the recent increase in charges, I noticed it had gone up by £30 a month. When I checked my usage it showed my usual water usage had doubled. 

I have gone through all my statements since May 2020 and I have never used more than 88m3 of water in a 6 month period (88m3 was 3 years ago). Most bills are around 65-70 every 6 months. When working out between a May and May where my actual readings are done across the last 5 years, I used around 130m3 approx. My usage between November and May is 127m3 so it’s basically doubled. With every bill, I’m charged around £200-£220 for 6 months usage but my current bill for the same period was £410. Both my partner and I were both a bit shocked because we haven’t changed any habits. 

Washing machine is on at least once a day, dishwasher about 3 times a week, 4 showers daily 2 adults 2 teenagers), rinsing plates in the sink and using, boiler in the winter and sinks and toilets etc. This is nothing new and doing this is usually around our normal water usage of 65m3 across 6 months. Only thing I have done different is jet wash the patio last month. 

I’ve checked my meter and it’s not spinning when all the water is off, when I use water, it’s spinning suggesting it’s working correctly. Meter reading is correct. Boiler doesn’t lose pressure and I’ve checked all the taps and pipes for leaks and cannot see anything. I’ve checked the toilet is not overflowing and whilst there is the tiniest of dribbles coming from the tank into the bowl (it’s really slow and ridiculously small), there is absolutely no way this would equate to same the amount of water I use in a day using my appliances and showers etc thus doubling my usage. I went out Sunday and checked my meter and came back 3 hours later and the reading was exactly how I left it when I came back. Hadnt moved a millimetre so I know the meter isnt moving when nothing is being used (including toilet). I have called south staffs water who said they don’t have any raw data to see spikes but admitted the spike was unusual so have requested an engineer just to rule out any issues or leaks etc. I’m fine with paying it but it doesn’t sit right that it’s doubled with no change in habits and even SSW saying it is also unusual based on previous bill history. Is there anybody that has had a the same issue and what they did or any other possible causes. Thanks in advance. 

It does sound as if you have a leak. Looking at the meter not spinning when not using water is not really enough unless the leak was substantial. What you need to do first is check the meter over a period of several hours when no water has been used, so say when you are out of the house for a day so there is a twelve hour period that can be checked against, even three hours might not be enough.

The next thing to do is ideally try and take daily reads for a couple of weeks, to see if there are any random spikes in usage that could indicate something, eg. the dishwasher has a problem that means instead of using 40 litres of water it now uses 100 litres per cycle. There might be something that only gets stuck occasionally, so the toilet getting stuck flowing sometimes but not all the time. 

If all that fails then you might need to check a known volume of usage against what is recorded on the meter. 

So I left it last night. Did a reading at 11:45 last night. It’s now 8am so a good 8 hours I left it and meter reading is the same. Nothing has moved. All in the exact same position definitely not using water when im not supposed to be 

mmmmikey

shoresybulldog said:

MattMattMattUK said:

shoresybulldog said:

Hi guys. Joined the MSE forum because I have a question about my recent water bill and wanted to get some advice. It’s a bit long but wanted to include as much detail as possible. 

My bills are 6 monthly and I get an actual reading in May and estimated in November. I have just had my May bill and whilst I expected an increase in my DD due to the recent increase in charges, I noticed it had gone up by £30 a month. When I checked my usage it showed my usual water usage had doubled. 

I have gone through all my statements since May 2020 and I have never used more than 88m3 of water in a 6 month period (88m3 was 3 years ago). Most bills are around 65-70 every 6 months. When working out between a May and May where my actual readings are done across the last 5 years, I used around 130m3 approx. My usage between November and May is 127m3 so it’s basically doubled. With every bill, I’m charged around £200-£220 for 6 months usage but my current bill for the same period was £410. Both my partner and I were both a bit shocked because we haven’t changed any habits. 

Washing machine is on at least once a day, dishwasher about 3 times a week, 4 showers daily 2 adults 2 teenagers), rinsing plates in the sink and using, boiler in the winter and sinks and toilets etc. This is nothing new and doing this is usually around our normal water usage of 65m3 across 6 months. Only thing I have done different is jet wash the patio last month. 

I’ve checked my meter and it’s not spinning when all the water is off, when I use water, it’s spinning suggesting it’s working correctly. Meter reading is correct. Boiler doesn’t lose pressure and I’ve checked all the taps and pipes for leaks and cannot see anything. I’ve checked the toilet is not overflowing and whilst there is the tiniest of dribbles coming from the tank into the bowl (it’s really slow and ridiculously small), there is absolutely no way this would equate to same the amount of water I use in a day using my appliances and showers etc thus doubling my usage. I went out Sunday and checked my meter and came back 3 hours later and the reading was exactly how I left it when I came back. Hadnt moved a millimetre so I know the meter isnt moving when nothing is being used (including toilet). I have called south staffs water who said they don’t have any raw data to see spikes but admitted the spike was unusual so have requested an engineer just to rule out any issues or leaks etc. I’m fine with paying it but it doesn’t sit right that it’s doubled with no change in habits and even SSW saying it is also unusual based on previous bill history. Is there anybody that has had a the same issue and what they did or any other possible causes. Thanks in advance. 

It does sound as if you have a leak. Looking at the meter not spinning when not using water is not really enough unless the leak was substantial. What you need to do first is check the meter over a period of several hours when no water has been used, so say when you are out of the house for a day so there is a twelve hour period that can be checked against, even three hours might not be enough.

The next thing to do is ideally try and take daily reads for a couple of weeks, to see if there are any random spikes in usage that could indicate something, eg. the dishwasher has a problem that means instead of using 40 litres of water it now uses 100 litres per cycle. There might be something that only gets stuck occasionally, so the toilet getting stuck flowing sometimes but not all the time. 

If all that fails then you might need to check a known volume of usage against what is recorded on the meter. 

So I left it last night. Did a reading at 11:45 last night. It’s now 8am so a good 8 hours I left it and meter reading is the same. Nothing has moved. All in the exact same position definitely not using water when im not supposed to be 

I'd be surprised if it's wrong but for completeness might be worth checking the accuracy of the meter, which you can do easily enough by running 10litres of water into a bucket and taking before / after readings. The more you run off the more accurate your test will be, but even 10 litres should be enough to give you a reasonable indication.