Water bill

Slow hand clap, Mrs Thatcher, slow fucking hand clap.

Incompetent moron.

And it's only going to get worse. Britain's waterways will all be declared functionally dead before this debacle gets sorted out.

Ours is £1200 a year, just two adults and a dog. When I queried it, more than once, was asked 'do you have a swimming pool?' Er, no! We're metered, it's been checked, nothing wrong apparently and yet we're getting through 1000 litres of water a day. Two people, one of whom showers most days at the gym. Absolute bullshit!

@silversun - More Or Less on R4 did a thing on whether bills for water were more expensive if not metered and it was pretty eye-opening!

The discrepancy between the metered and unmetered bills has risen sharply over the past 15 years or so. The water companies assume that if you are not on a meter you are using far above average water for your size of property and bill you accordingly.

I rang up to get a meter installed after hearing that programme and my monthly bills have reduced by £60!

When the children were little (and I had them in cloth nappies) we were endlessly running the washing machine, running baths for them, filling paddling pools in the summer etc and I thought a meter would probably be a bad idea. I never really thought about it afterwards and could kick myself how much we've been paying over the odds.

@ByEdgyPeer

i was in Severn Trent not on a meter until 5 years ago and my bill was £650 a year back then, I’m guessing you are in a band a property or do have a meter.

sw is more expensive, but not that much more if you have a meter. I pay £60 a month for 8 months

Southern Water on a meter. It was £109 per month which I thought was steep, it has now increased to £143 per month.

2 Adults, 2 Teens, 4 bed

WTF?! Mine is £36 a month, on a meter! I do only have my dc here half the time but I have a bath every night, shower in the morning, and the washing machine is on at least once a day. I'm in the NE

If they have confirmed you cant have a meter fitted have they changed you onto a accessed charge with a single person discount. Just did this with my mum, she is with Thames water - 3 bed house but is on her own. Thames water couldn't fit a meter so changed her tariff. yearly Bill changed from - £1082.86 down to £524.32.

Really worth while checking, your water company should have a accessed charge table on their website - although may be hidden away - they don't like to advertise it

Well just got off the phone to Yorkshire water and apparently I can’t have a meter fitted as they have surveyed before. But could get a single person tariff which was about £395 better than nothing. But if it becomes 2 people again that £620 is still their reduced rate absolute madness!

We’re in Cornwall and South West Water increased our monthly direct debit by £15 a month. Even though we were in credit!
We have a meter

Frustrating. Especially since the people here need water filters because the water is always brown! We have a water supply issue roughly 6 times a year 😤

Mines £620 up from £475 with Yorkshire water. I think I’m going to go for the 2 year trial with a water meter as most of the time it’s just me don’t wfh and it surely must be less than £62 a month on a meter

Also in the SW and just opened the bill 😱 It's going up from £85 per month to £124 per month. I've read the riot act to kids and husband and told them I will be policing daily baths and extended showers 🤣

Are you sure you aren't paying for the whole house? That seems a crazy amount for a one-bed flat.

Some people might think like that but I'd guess it's a very small number given that well over half the houses in England already have a meter and every new house built has to have one

You'd only be theoretically affecting a buyer whose a huge water user in a low rated property. It wouldn't put me off installing a meter at all if I didn't already have one, really low risk

I'm in the SW, and last year my water bill was ridiculously high (I was paying £60 a month) . Turns out I had a pipe leaking in my property and also a leaking washing machine (leaking down back so didn't see it until the motor rusted and had to be replaced). Now these are sorted my bill is down to £45 which is more or less what it was before . I live alone with my three guinea pigs, £60 per month was ridiculous!!! Yeah the guinea pigs fleece does take a lot of washing, but still...

So check for any possible leaks.

Apply for a water meter immediately. You have a period of time where you can revert to the unmetered account if it doesn’t work out cheaper. Make sure to have water saving devices in place, eg toilet with full and reduced flush options. Modern cisterns use less water. South West Water can send you something to place in your cistern otherwise. Free, I believe.

People don't try it as if they sell the house the new owners would have to use the water meter.

The curiousOrange,that's eye watering, for your fuel.Apologies for going "off post", how big is your property?

Ours is now £1150 a year, we tried a meter and it cost more, two adults and a six year old.
Gas and electric are £2640 and we're out all day at work.

We pay double that for gas and electricity alone. The water is another £1000.

Omg we're a family of 5 on a water meter in Yorkshire and I thought the £32 a month they charge us was a bit excessive! £1600/year is what we pay for electricity gas and water!!

We are SW and can't have a meter because we are linked to neighbours. We had one fitted and it kept spinning even when we weren't drawing anything because next door had their washing machine on. So it was removed.

They put us on an assessed charge and we need to notify them how many people are living in our house. They then charge an assessed charge based on number of residents.

Since you can’t have a meter, they should have put you on a different cheaper tariff to reflect that. Ring them and tell them you can’t afford it and ask them to look into it (I work in a connected industry and I know people who’ve been put on different tariffs for the exact same reason)

DaphneduM, the use of a dishwasher is less water than washing up in a sink, the up to date ones,are very frugal like washing machines, they take in very little water. It's amazing how much the bills vary on here, for the same amount of bedrooms, occupants. I have a feeling we paid £28 a month in our last house,tiny 1930s semi,did the downsizing thing,2 bed bungalow 14 years ago,then paid £8 a month supply only both,I couldn't believe it, this time metered. They do come out twice a year and read. We have checked it ourselves occasionally, because there was leaks in the mains at our last house, and there's been a few here. We have a big garden,5 water butts. I live in the mildest driest SE corner. We often have hosepipe bans. The reservoirs aren't far away, and the water companies don't allow for the amount of new builds.

Welsh Water £599 for the year unmetered.
Up from £434 last year.
There are 2 adults here and my neighbours are on meters and pay less (not sure how much this year).
It probably sounds daft but having a meter for the water seems akin to paying for oxygen especially as it bloody rains nonstop in Wales.

Welsh water supply only £220

Anglian Water has just increased our annual bill - for two people - to just over £1k. We can’t have a meter. I think I’ll call them tomorrow.