Cheaper Water Bills Article Discussion 5 March 2008 at 12:06PM edited 14 June 2010 at 4:19PM in Water bills 492 replies 210K views

Andy_Hamilton

I'm in no way a big user of water but, I think I will be keeping this house for years so I have decided to make it more efficient.
I already have a dyson washer which cuts down on washing.
I have bought an "ecocamel" showerhead which saves 30% (checked by me). Hardly noticeable compared to normal.
Bought "tap magic" spray nozzles for all taps.
Also got 2 "Save-A-flush" on there way from Northumbrian water.
Total cost around £50 investment which is alot with a £300 water bill.
If I save 1/6th of the water I'll break even in 1 year. This is very likely!

I wish Northumbrian water offered a discount for being under 75 cubic meters. Im just under that before even trying.

I used to go away for weekeneds in a caravan. 3 of us we used to use 25 litres per weekend. In my house, 75000 litres per year is classified as low user.

raldaman

Cardew wrote: »

Welcome to the forum.

Your question has come up several times and there is no way to check your RV through councils etc as they simply don't keep records. RV is used solely by Water Companies.

You might be able to check your RV from the deeds of your house - but bear in mind there were several re-valuations, the last major one being 1971.

However if you feel the reduction was after you bought the house it will not be recorded. Also re-valuation for things like roads tended to be minor. My In-Laws had a high security prison built on the border of their garden(high fence, floodlights, audible obscenities etc) and their RV was reduced by £10 after an appeal.

With a bill for £763 wouldn't a meter be cheaper? You will need to use an awful lot of water - even in SW England - to have a bill of that size.

I live in Dorset ( wessex water) in a 4 bed detached house and my annual bill is £822 for just my wife and myself. Rateable value is £330 and for each £ the charge is £125.76 for water and £119.09 for sewerage. Pretty heavy, huh!

thenuttyboy

In order to apply for the surface water rebate you should call your water company and ask for a "Surface Water Drainage Rebate Form". You fill in your details and there will be a space for you to fill in what your SW drainage does. It doesn't just apply to soakaways. If your roofwater goes to water butts, with absolutely no means of connection to the sewer, then you can also claim. Water companies do not automatically give you this rebate. It is incorporated into your sewerage charges by default. Some water companies will not require a site visit for verification if your submission is fairly accurate.
Another way to save, but one that is a lot harder to obtain, is a sewer abatement. Since your sewerage charge is based on 90% of your water charge you have to prove that you re-use a lot more than 10% of your wastewater elsewhere other than return the other 90% to the sewer. By re-use this means not emptying baths, sinks etc and storing the "grey water" to be used for watering the garden etc. It's a hard one to prove and to convince a water company you do this all the time but if you do do this it may be worth a try.
Some water companies might do a "meter options" scheme. This is where they allow you to go on a meter for a fixed period to see how a metered charge measures against the rateable value charge. If you save with a meter stick with it. If not opt-out. However you usually can't switch back very easily later. Although water companies are trying to encourage meter usage so call them to test it out.

SUZYBLU_2

I had a water meter installed years ago when I had a large family living at home, within a year I was not making a saving so reverted back to metered bills. Now I live alone in a large house and although the water meter is still installed, Yorkshire Water absolutely refuse to let me use it, I reckon I am paying at least 3 times what I would if my water useage was metered. Is there any way round this or will I be paying inflated prices for the rest of my life??

Kendo2424

Thanks to Martin for highlighting possible water bill rises (money tips email 13th August 2008), but don't panic immediately, the proposed price increases won't take effect until next Autumn, not next February as the email states.

From Ofwat's website:
Price Review 2009: Water Company draft business plans
Each water company in England and Wales has submitted their draft business plans to Ofwat. The plans set out each company's initial view of what it needs to do to maintain its assets, improve services to customers and deal with its impact on the environment.
The draft business plans are a key step forward in the process of setting final price limits for the period 2010 – 2015. Final determinations will be published by Ofwat in November 2009.

elfie

we live in basildon essex. and i have 2 lots of water bills. 1 essex and suffolk for fresh water, and anglian water for the dirty water.we have a 1bd bungalow, 2 of us live there. ive never had to pay 2 lots of water b4 (we had moved about a bit) i have a water meter for essex and suffolk so my payments have gone down to £13 a month. and the anglian water was at 1 time £34 a month. but after lots of calls to them its dropped by half.
but do u know they where going to send in a debt letter for the grand sum of £2-00 !!!!!
i just wondered why we cant have a water meter for both uses. fresh n dirty.

pkempc

pkempc wrote: »

I used to pay my metered Thames Water bill by direct debit every month like a good boy until they decided to up my monthly amount by 162% from £ 26 to £ 42 in Aug 2005 for no good reason other than to ensure I didn't underpay. There is no discount for paying monthly ( as per other utilities ) so I told them to cancel the direct debit and I would pay their 6 monthly bills in arrears thanks all the same - thus I earn interest on the money up until the moment I pay the bill by electronic bank transfer.

Now I can pay my Thames Water bill using a cashback credit card through their website and still pay 6 months in arrears + then get 50'ish days interest free to settle my credit card bill & for no extra fees or charges.:beer:

http://www.thameswater.co.uk/UK/regi...nload_0012 77

Oh and all my metered bills since Aug 2005 have worked out at as follows:-

Jul 05 - Dec 05 - £ 119.16 ( £ 23.83 )
Dec 05 - Jun 06 - £ 127.05 ( £ 21.18 )
Jun 06 - Jan 07 - £ 158.95 ( £ 26.49 )
Jan 07 - July 07 - £ 160.95 ( £ 26.83 )
Jul 07 - Jan 08 - £ 151.33 ( £ 25.22 )

Jan 08 - Jul 08 £ 157.11 ( £ 26.19 )

Thus, if you don't regularly check your bills, would have meant Thames Water earning interest on over £ 600 of total monthly overpayments!:eek:

Latest Bill - Jul-Dec 08 - £136.46 ( £ 27.29 )

The_Governor

Andy_Hamilton wrote: »

I'm in no way a big user of water but, I think I will be keeping this house for years so I have decided to make it more efficient.
I already have a dyson washer which cuts down on washing.
I have bought an "ecocamel" showerhead which saves 30% (checked by me). Hardly noticeable compared to normal.
Bought "tap magic" spray nozzles for all taps.
Also got 2 "Save-A-flush" on there way from Northumbrian water.
Total cost around £50 investment which is alot with a £300 water bill.
If I save 1/6th of the water I'll break even in 1 year. This is very likely!

I wish Northumbrian water offered a discount for being under 75 cubic meters. Im just under that before even trying.

I used to go away for weekeneds in a caravan. 3 of us we used to use 25 litres per weekend. In my house, 75000 litres per year is classified as low user.

Andy, did you buy these online and if so where?

Andy_Hamilton

www.ecocamel.co.uk
www.tapmagic.co.uk Do not fit to baths!!

The_Governor

Cheers for that Andy.

One other thing occurs to me, we have a storage tank in the loft for cold water as many other modern houses do, now our pipe runs are fairly long around the house so the water tends to get warm while sat in the pipes.

Hence we have to run them for a minute or so to get the cold water at the tap (don't want luke warm water in the kids mouths!) - it strikes me that the building trade has built-in a handy water wasting system here, forcing people to run the taps for longer than they need to!