Water meter fitted but bills still high

When i moved into my flat-within a complex-Severn Trent quoted me roughly £30 pcm for water,my friend thought that was very high.I explained to ST that i had no washing machine-we have a communal area for that-so my water use would be pretty low.They fitted a water meter and said I`d only pay for what I use,if this is the case then why am I paying a direct debit of £16.80 pcm-this bill is from Jan-Dec this year,the amount is constant.....am I just not understanding the bill ?
Thanks

Comments

  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,521
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    How does the bill correlate to the readings on the water meter?
    Actual readings or estimate?
    Is it showing you as being in credit or deficit.
    If you turn all the water off, is the meter still turning.

    You do the same checks as you would for gas and electricity. Direct debit payment does not necessarily correlate to what you are actually using, you could be either under or overpaying. You need to check your actual usage.
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • RelievedSheff
    RelievedSheff Posts: 11,223
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    Log onto your Severn Trent online account and see if you are in credit or debt on your account.

    Severn Trent read the water meters twice per year so your Bill's should be accurate.

    By paying via direct debit you are splitting the cost of your water usage over 12 months. You may not use £16 one month but may use more another month. The direct debit should iron out the peaks and troughs in usage and in theory end up with a zero balance on your account at the end of the 12 monthly billing period.

    Severn Trent will review your payment amount every six months to make sure you are paying enough to cover your use or are not building up too much credit.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    edited 7 November 2019 at 1:28PM
    Welcome to the forum.

    Metered Charges are shown here:

    https://www.stwater.co.uk/content/dam/stw/my-account/our-charges/stw-summary-of-charges-2019-20.pdf

    The average water consumption in UK is approx. 55 cubic metres(m3) per person per year. Assuming you live alone the average annual bill will be:

    55 x £1.443 for water supply = £79.37
    55 x £1.0417 for sewerage = £57.29
    Standing charge for water = £32.20
    Standing charge for sewerage = £17.82

    Total = £186.68

    In addition many properties(flats) pay £34.57 for surface water drainage. So £221.25

    Washing machines are not the major item of consumption, but you can work out how much your consumption will cost by reading the meter. Bear in mind that the standing charges remain the same.

    Also bear in mind that Severn Trent sometimes only take 10 Direct Debit payments in the year(not 12)
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871
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    I explained to ST that i had no washing machine-we have a communal area for that-so my water use would be pretty low.
    My 18 year old, 5kg machine uses 54 litres for a standard wash. Unlikely to be a large proportion of an annual bill.

    My annual stw metered bill is about £175 using the washing machine about 1.5 times per week.
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,586
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    If you want to understand your consumption read your meter yourself a bit more regularly than the water company.

    Try reading it either weekly or monthly and then you'll know exactly how much you use and when you use it. Just waiting for a bill to drop through the letterbox (especially if it's estimated, which a lot of them are) wont help you understand what is going on and what you can do to reduce your costs.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • wild666
    wild666 Posts: 2,113
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    You don't just pay for the water through the taps you have standing charges that can be a largest part of a bill. Standing charges for low users is the main part of the bill. I read my meter weekly, for the first month after it was put in I read it daily the usage was very little around 30 to 40 litres a day.
    I don't waste water I boil a kettle to wash pots and fill a flask one or twice a day for drinks.
    Boiling a kettle for 40 minutes can use one Kwh same as a bulb left on for 24 hours.
    Someone please tell me what money is
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    wild666 wrote: »
    Boiling a kettle for 40 minutes can use one Kwh same as a bulb left on for 24 hours.

    For clarity you need to give the rating.

    That would mean a kettle with a 1.5kW element. Whilst there are 1.5kW kettles, 3kW kettles are more common.

    The bulb would be 40watts.
  • I live alone in a 2 bed terrace & my water bill is £16 a month. I use the washer 1-2 times a week & wash dishes by hand. Yorkshire water read the meter 4 times a year & the amount I pay matches pretty close to what I've used by the end of the year. Sewerage charges are more than the actual water I use.
    Before I went on a meter I was paying £26 a month.
  • Nemo72
    Nemo72 Posts: 16 Forumite
    PERHAPS, you may have to reduce the time you spend in the shower
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