Cheaper Water Bills Article Discussion

kentfella

my next door neighbour in the midlands is a family of 4 on a single low income and also on a metered supply , in contrast to my water supply which is not on a meter and therefore a standard charge linked to rateable value of my property . Unbelievably  she told me that the local water company wanted to charge my neighbour  double what i pay despite being the very same water company supplying both semi detached houses bringing my neighbours yearly bill up to an eye watering  700 quid  , the water company stated that they wanted to charge her that because it was a family of 4 . i have told my neighbour  that the water company is not allowed to bill her on the amount of people in her house and she should be charged on her actual meter readings or estimated meter readings , my neighbour did complain and now her yearly bill is around 490 quid per year which is still around a 150 quid more than my bill . I also told my neighbour that my relative owns a 2 bedroomed apartment in the canary islands which is not famous for rain and she pays 77 euros a year water and drainage bill and the water is 99.5 percent potable and drinkable , now tell me if you dont smell a rat 

geoffreyq

Water is amazingly cheap for most people and great value for money. All the water one needs and necessary sewerage services cost most people less than £10 per week. The cost in real terms (for me and probably most others) is no higher than it was 10 years ago. There is no water shortage in the UK, as I was told by the Chief Executive of a major UK company. The plain fact is, if you ask the public are you willing to pay an extra £2 or £3 a week to expand water supply and clean up storm water pollution more quickly, the answer is always NO. I certainly will not forego the progress  of 60 years and go back to the ways of my grandparents by stopping daily showers or jumping out after 2 minutes, just to save a few pennies.

passfish

My water bill is included in my rent as I live in a housing association block. Is there any way to save money in this situation?

CJL77

Rebate for Low Income?, Can I claim a refund for paying ten years of estimated water bill when I should have been on the Low Income Tariff?

After reading your article, I searched Affinity Water for information about the tariff for low-income. Still, I could not find anything and only located it via the link from your article. I have been with Affinity since 2013 and in all that time I have been on ESA benefit. I am sure that when I set up the account I informed them that I was on benefits but I was never told about this tariff.  What I now want to know is, can I now claim back the £200 excess I have paid for the last ten years which would be around £2,000? This year I was changed to a water meter and today I have claimed for the low-income tariff.

SamsterD

Another water saving tip.. When running your taps or shower waiting for it to get hot, save the water in a bucket and use it to flush the loo!!! 

MattMattMattUK

SamsterD said:

Another water saving tip.. When running your taps or shower waiting for it to get hot, save the water in a bucket and use it to flush the loo!!! 

If you take an average bucket of 5 litres (probably too high as I do not get 5 litres of water before it gets hot) and the average cost of water (using my own, Thames Water), that means that a bucket contains approximately 1p of water (fresh combined with wastewater cost). If you already had the bucket and you showered every day that would mean the whole exercise saved you £3.65 per year. I really cannot see that being worth the hassle for anyone. 

MattMattMattUK

passfish said:

My water bill is included in my rent as I live in a housing association block. Is there any way to save money in this situation?

Probably not, but you would need to ask your housing association. 

Voduka

I am one of many who live alone in a little village and get my water supplied from a bore hole through a private company, my waste water is billed separately through Severn Trent, so two separate bills.

My water is billed on rateable value which is currently £346.75 per year. 

I am on low income and classed as vulnerable and seem to have no wiggle room with this company. It seems so unfair that a family of three next door is paying exactly the same as me.

Does anyone else have a similar situation with a private company or can advise how I can get my bill reduced in some way?

GingerTim

You could have a water meter installed - I pay £140 per year.

Cardew

Presumably your private water company will not provide a water meter OR Severn Trent will not accept those water meter readings on which to base sewerage charges?

Is it the £346.75 the bill you currently pay in 2023/24 and does that include Surface Water Drainage?  

Depending on the answer those questions there might be a way forward.