Water Bills questions and comment

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  • Galstonian
    Galstonian Posts: 1,292 Forumite
    I get a reduction of about £200 from my council tax bill since we are not connected to the mains sewage system (we have a Victorian soakaway). It should be the same if you have a septic tank or reed beds so long as you are not connected to the sewage system.
  • Sarahsaver
    Sarahsaver Posts: 8,390
    Combo Breaker First Post
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    ...but i just had a look and reed beds are expensive...
    http://ecoflo.ie/ourreedbedsystems.php#pricelist
    although that is admittedly only one site.
    Glastonian, what is a *Victorian soakaway*? as ive never heard of one, some of my drainage is a bit odd to say the least (built 1876) and i dont think that all goes into the mains.
    Member no.1 of the 'I'm not in a clique' group :rotfl:
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    To avoid all evil, to do good,
    to purify the mind- that is the
    teaching of the Buddhas.
  • Galstonian
    Galstonian Posts: 1,292 Forumite
    It is like a septic tank but on a permanent basis.

    1. dig a big hole as far as you can from your house.
    2. lay a drain from house into said hole.
    3. use toilets, bath etc and allow nature to take its course (maybe throwing in a pigs head or two to get the bacteria really going well)
    4. cover and leave.

    Bacteria consume the waste and fresh water soaks away through soil. You have to avoid putting stuff in the drains that will upset the balance (avoid bleach and no caustic soda).

    Its the kind of thing that would probably give planners fits if they saw it proposed today but its been working for over 100 years so far so touch wood....
  • Water comapnies will apply two charges - one set to supply you with the water and one set to take it away again - water charges and sewerage charges. In theory you could remove the sewerage charges if your water isn't routed out of property via the sewer.

    Unfortunately the only ways to economise on your bills are to reduce your usage or move to a meter (which of course may not be the best option) Buy.co.uk offers a good comparison tool, and indicates what the best option may be (metered or unmetered) - it is always worth talking to your supplier and some do offer varing tariffs based on your usage level.
  • I have had a major victory with my water bill.
    When I last left a comment, my meter reading had been multiplied by 4.5 which meant the charge for one quarter was £167, which did not seem to show the promise of the great saving compared to water rates.

    However on closer inspection it seems that the 4.5 represented the calculation from gallons to litres. This assumed that the meter reading was for gallons, and therefore needed to be multiplied by 4.5 to show litres. This is strange as we had only had the meter installed this year, when we checked the front of the meter it definately had m3 on it.

    Thames Water have just rang to confirm this, and will reisuue our bill. It should now be around £40, which is much more what I expected.

    Anyone who has had high bills should go and check. It should work out around £1.40 per unit plus whatever you're standing charge is.
  • pakman
    pakman Posts: 25 Forumite
    They must be the waters equivilent to British Gaff.  BG get thousands of meters mixed up between metric and imperial.

    (although they will write of any undercharging due to this)

    (if you shout OFGEM loud enough at them)  :P
  • When I first moved in, I was on rates and paid around £23 per month for my water. I have since changed to a meter.

    My water bill has now dropped to £9 a month - a huge saving. :)
  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Community Admin
    Hi there,

    I have a 2 bed flat and am charged £223 per year to Thames Water for an unmetered supply. This seems alot given that I use very little water.

    I also used to live in a 4 bed house in same area and the water bill was not much more a year. I am slightly confused why.

    Is there any way I reduce my bills?

    Andrew
  • lisyloo
    lisyloo Posts: 29,578
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    At the risk of stating the obvious....

    If you use very little water then you will save money by getting a meter fitted.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Community Admin
    Water market deregulation, if it were to happen, would not be the same as Electricity and Gas for one huge reason.

    All the major water companies have a massive problem with unpaid bills, each writing off millions every year.

    With Electric and Gas, if someone doesn't pay, you can at least force a disconnection, or install a prepaymentmeter - and use the courts to attempt to claim the outstanding balance.

    With water, disconnection is ILLEGAL - companies that trialled prepayment meters for water had to withdraw them as customers could cut themselves off.

    Due to the slow time consuming process of going to court over bad debt, by the time an amount is summonsed, a futher amount is due. The debt continually increases, and impoverished families with debts of several thousand can only be made to pay what they can pay - and if a family is not even paying for their current consumption, the debt will continually get bigger.

    Therefore, will companies be jumping up and down for custom in the same way as for electric and gas?? They might in rich, 5 bedroom, detached suburbia, but not want to in the middle of run down estates - and OFWAT would probably not approve of selective or differential tariffs.

    Can't see deregulation happening myself.

    Who knows.

    Stuart
    (used to work for the debt recovery department of a mojor water company)
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