Water company says we're using too much water

[AintOverUntilTheCatLadySings]

And I can't work out why/how to use less.

Our water usage went up at the start of lockdown- not surprising as there was now x3 of us at home, it was summer and we were potty training a toddler.

Now our water company are saying we're using too much (we've got a water meter btw and pay for what we use) and sent someone round to talk to us about water conservation.

Thing is… We're quite water conservation conscious in general. Use eco setting on dishwasher, have a wet-room type shower so save shower and bath water in buckets for flushing toilets and watering plants (used the hose maybe 10 times in total this year and that includes filling small paddling pool - water that was also reused).

I even reuse pasta and veg water for watering plants.

Dh and I shower with our toddler so we're not having x3 showers per day or anything. And about 50% of that water is saved in buckets - including the cold water run off at the start.

I use the washing machine about x5 a week.

We don't have a car to wash. No ponds or swimming pool.

They're checking if there's an error but are certain that there's not.

Does anyone have any idea how to save water when you're already doing all the obvious things?

I feel you were very accommodating even to have this fella come round!

Water isn’t a bought thing as such here so this is quite interesting to me. I think everyone pays the same and it’s just part of your council tax bill

I suspect one day we will go the same way and it will be privatised

It's the same for me. I wouldn't have a water logger as my bill is about £35 for a family of three.

I'm loathe to have one incase it goes up.

Different with my gas and electric because if I didn't have a smart meter they would send a meter reader and this just negates the need for that. And I'd never remember to add my meter reading every month on an app.

In that sense you'd save on the meter reader cost of them coming to your house to read it as they would certainly factor that into your bill As a hidden charge.
That's if the supplier passes that saving on.

If they came here I would suggest that the only water saving device they could offer which would make any difference is an aging potion. Fairly sure that when the teenagers leave home our consumption will plummet.

they said the issue was that they were at capacity with being able to clean the water and supply

Perhaps they ought to focus on fixing leaks then?

(we pay about £10 per head a month - so similar - not obvious you have a leak - suspect over keen newbie going a little off script)

He left us a shower timer and told us to reduce shower times down to 4 minutes, as that was the only thing he could suggest.

If someone from the water company tried to dictate what length of shower I could have he would get told where to go. That’s nonsense!

Washing machine 5 times per week? There's just the 2 if us and we use it twice per week, one darks and colours and one whites and lights.

I think water is currently being deregulated so that you can pick your supplier like you do gas or electricity. You can't Pick at the minute I don't believe but it will be an option in the future. Or that's the way it's going

that was supposed to happen in the 1990s when the water companies were sold off. I see no reason why it's ever going to happen now.

@MXT835EKS

Washing machine 5 times per week? There's just the 2 if us and we use it twice per week, one darks and colours and one whites and lights.

I use my washing machine daily. Sometimes twice! 2 adults a teenager and a toddler.

Are you actually shitting me? He came round to lecture you on your water consumption when you are metered and pay your water bill?? That is ludicrous! I may be a bit off, I'm in Scotland and we pay water rates, but since we have about 1 dry hour a year we dont need to meter or our water, but still, for fucks sake! I'm outraged on your behalf, so much so that I'm going to run a full bath of water then empty it without it being used.
What a cheeky fucker 😱

I had this and it turned out that the meter-checking-person had not been able to read the meter so made up a number. This was after my DH died so water consumption would have gone down not up. Anyway the reason they could not read the meter was because it was BROKEN. Cue red faces at the water company but they replaced the meter and it all works perfectly now (I still check the readings though).

My parents had a sudden jump in their water meter bill and it was a leak from the pipe under the patio between the water meter and the house. Took them a while to find the leak!

@ProfessorSlocombe like I said

"I'm a bit sketchy on how far this is in progress as it's not an area I work in a lot"

It's what's being advised to us at the moment but again I'm not sure. It's just what's being communicated to us in work.

I strongly suspect that OP and many pp are barking up the wrong tree by taking this 'personally'. I don't think it's anything to do with OP's water useage, in particular.

I do think it will be to do with a water company 'household water savings promotion programme', in general.

Leak or faulty meter. What do you pay currently per month?

Well... I worked for a water company up until July when I changed jobs and we absolutely didn't have people knocking on doors for this kind of stuff! It's not even really a legitimate form of data processing unless you pre-consented to have your water usage monitored/volunteered to take part in some kind of water saving initiative.

@ProfessorSlocombe cynical me sees these meters as a way for companies to identify leak usage and charge more.

I have refused them every time they ask (so about every 6 months!). I know how electricity usage works (leave shit on= uses more electricity!) I don't need a box to tell me haha.

@lottiegarbanzo

I strongly suspect that OP and many pp are barking up the wrong tree by taking this 'personally'. I don't think it's anything to do with OP's water useage, in particular.

I do think it will be to do with a water company 'household water savings promotion programme', in general.

They phoned, wrote and emailed us specifically saying that we were using too much water.

I honestly don't understand why you even entertained the notion of letting him lecture you like you're a bloody school kid. Leaks aside, you pay for it, you can use what you like! I think 'piss off' might have been a better way to deal with the water company.
This sort of nannying behaviour is one of the reasons why I would caution people against getting water/electricity meters if they can possibly avoid it.
Also £33 pcm isn't that much.

Just to add - the guy didn't just knock on the door - they rang, emailed and wrote a letter and DH booked a time for him to come round (used the real/correct number from our account so was definitely not a fraudster).

They said our water useage had increased and we were now using more than the average family of two. We explained that we're a family of three (should have been on our records already) but they said it was still too much and they wanted to send someone round to talk about water conservation (dh handled this - he'd happily get someone round to save £30 whereas I'd rather pay an extra £30 to be left alone).

He asked us questions but couldn't give us any tips (other than have a 4 min shower) because we do it all anyway.

Our water bill has actually gone down since getting a water meter, funnily enough.

This site gives a bit more context into recent water usage and dry months.

Water meters are cheaper if you are a small family or out at work all day. Not so much if you have lots of people at home.
I'd rather pay water rates and have long showers and no nagging from the water board.

@MXT835EKS

Washing machine 5 times per week? There's just the 2 if us and we use it twice per week, one darks and colours and one whites and lights.

Don't you wash your bed sheets, towels or cleaning cloths?

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

I honestly don't understand why you even entertained the notion of letting him lecture you like you're a bloody school kid. Leaks aside, you pay for it, you can use what you like! I think 'piss off' might have been a better way to deal with the water company. This sort of nannying behaviour is one of the reasons why I would caution people against getting water/electricity meters if they can possibly avoid it. Also £33 pcm isn't that much.

I wouldn't have - DH would have let him sleepover if he thought it would get us a discount

@rottiemum88

Well... I worked for a water company up until July when I changed jobs and we absolutely didn't have people knocking on doors for this kind of stuff! It's not even really a legitimate form of data processing unless you pre-consented to have your water usage monitored/volunteered to take part in some kind of water saving initiative.

I'm going to check with DH and see if he's preconsented to anything like that. It's just the sort of thing he'd do tbh