Just got our first daily water use info for our water meter

[Motnight]

It's 1180 litres. I am gobsmacked.

3 bedroomed house. 2 of us living here permanently, occasional visits from a 3rd person! Both working mostly at home. Around 10 loads of washing a week, dishwasher used once a day. 2 showers and 1 bath a day (bath is deep). Bath is taken by husband who has a life long illness which leaves him in lots of physical pain, which is helped by a bath.

Is this normal? The useful info provided says that a typical 2 person household should use around 270 metres a day. Do we have a leak or are we just using appalling amounts of water? If the latter, any tips on reducing this? Thankyou.

Thus might interest you, OP

friendsoftheearth.uk/sustainable-living/13-best-ways-save-water

The “average” household they refer to probably involves people out at work, so using toilets, kettles etc elsewhere during working hours.

You’re doing more washing than I do with two adults plus two children’s worth of uniform, muddy clothes, sports kits and wet beds. And I’d have a shower or a bath a day, not both.

It’s not unreasonable to use more than average though if your DH has medical needs.

I’d check for leaks somewhere

But as PP said, 10 loads of washing sounds excessive… The most I’ve seen is 7-8 washings a week but it was for a family of 5 !

That's a lot of washing
And a lot of dishwashing. I got rid of dishwasher as there's only two of us so it never seemed to be full enough for a load
If you're wfh why are you creating so much washing? Surely you don't need to get changed. I'm not sure what our daily useage is but our monthly payment is about £40 less on a meter as if we didn't have a meter it would go on rateable value.

Family of 5 here.

Adults and teen shower every other day, wash inbetween.

We do maybe 5-8 loads of washing a week, and so 10 for 2 people is insane!! Are you a MN'etter who has to wash towels after every use and change bedding constantly?

Dishwashers use minimal water, so they're usually better than washing up. Just make sure they are full before switching on.

There might be a reason why OP has to do so many loads of washing….

I read something about how everyone takes showers because they think they're so much more eco and water friendly than a bath. But power showers use a lot of water, if you're in there for a long time any of the benefit is wiped out. Shower timers are brilliant, our water company was giving them away a while ago and they're like little egg timers with sand. 4 minutes is plenty long enough for a shower.

That's loads of washing op. I don't do that much with 3 kids. Could you ask the water company to come and check for a leak? I did when bill was unusually high and one of my toilets was dripping water back into the bowl. Also why 2 showers? Unless dh has a health condition where he is soiled regularly I can't fathom.the usage. But if dh does have that then call the water company and they should cap the daily usage.

Is that reading per day? OK lets work it out:

50-150 litres for a bath - lets say 100 l
50 litres per wash 10/7 = 1.5 per day approx = 75 l
shower approx 10l per minute, 2 showers x 10 min = 200l

So thats 375l for washing, bath and shower per day

There really is something not right, you might have a leak. If this is outside the boundary it is their responsibility, inside it is yours.

10 loads seems a huge amount. If your husband has a condition that means you would use more water, you may be entitled to support. Have a look at watersure

10 loads a week?! DP is emergency services and needs new uniform every day, sometimes goes through multiple uniforms a shift and we don’t do anywhere near that much! And his uniform is made up of around ten different items!

Meant to say that obviously this leaves approx 800 litres for toilets, handwashing, washing up and dishwater. Can't be right!

10 loads of washing a week is a typo surely? We’re a family twice the size of yours OP and do half that amount, max.

Please contact your provider op. Some medical conditions allow them to cap your usage costs. We have 3 under 16's which also caps the cost. I pay £23 a month.

I bet I do ten loads of washing a week. DH and I both do jobs that require a completely clean outfit each day. We both exercise a couple of times a week. One dc does sport three times a week and comes home sweaty and filthy.

Then a load of towels a week. One load of bedding and one wool wash.

That's a lot of washing. 2 people here and we do 3 to 4 washes a week max.

Your usage is excessive.

I do 5-7 loads a week for 3 people.
Dishwasher run every 2-3 days - how are you filling it daily? And if it's not full, don't run it.
2 showers per day for 1 person is more than normal. And a daily deep bath will use so much water.

For example:

• a power shower uses 14l per minute
• a bath filled to just below the overflow is 150-200l
• dishwasher is around 10l per use
• washing machine is around 60l per use
• toilet flush is 10-15l (I added this as you mentioned both of you at home all day, so this can really add up)

Having said that, I get your estimated usage to be around 600-700l a day - so significantly higher than average but not as high as 1180.

If this is a newly installed meter have you checked the meter? Go out to the pavement and lift up the grate and you'll be able to see the meter and if there's any leakage there. Also to see if the dial is going round whilst no water is being used which could suggest a leak elsewhere.

Lots of replies, thank you. I knew Mumsnetters would like this topic!

It's one shower a day each. DH's condition doesn't mean that he produces any more dirty laundry if that makes sense.The washing just seems to be always there to be done but this is what everyone is commenting on and I agree it is a lot. We change bed clothes and towels once a week (apart from hand towels in the bathroom).

Thank you also for the helpful links. I am going to have a look at these and read the posts in more depth and come back.

Now I’ve reread your OP…

is that normal?

No, you use a huge amount of water.

Tips to reduce? Other than the washing (how do you create that much, unless it’s to do with your DPs illness, and still I’m struggling to imagine?)

No need for DP to have a bath and a shower every day
No need (I doubt) to run the dishwasher everyday (with only 2 of you)

My last post crossed with yours OP, hence me referencing your OPs illness after you ruled it out.

TBH, I think the baths take a lot of water is a bit of a myth - I prefer baths to showers. When I do shower (not especially powerful over-bath shower) I leave the bath plug in, and even with a fairly quick shower, turning off the water when I wash & condition my hair, the level of water in the bath isn't that much less compared to when I have an actual bath.

when I switched to a meter, the water company queried that my usage was so low, I wish I'd switched earlier.
But ten washing loads for 2 people - unless additional washing created by your DH's illness, that seems excessive. I do one load per weekend - and occasionally miss a weekend.

@VelvetChairGirl

10 a week, 1 do 1 and theres 2 of us here.

altho I have done none for over a month as the washing machine is broken, been washing the undies in the bath, its mostly undies.

You do one wash a week for two people? Even if you're reusing bath towels surely two bath towels, 7lots of knickers, pants, socks, etc, couple of outfits each for work comes to now then 1 load??

I am living in dread of when the compulsory meter is fitted here.

There are 5 of us and we don’t have a shower so use a lot of bath water daily.

8-10 washing loads a week, dishwasher daily plus a bowl full for hand washing items.

It’s going to cost an absolute fortune.

10 loads a week?! We have dogs and do 3 and one of those is dog bedding. What are you even washing??

We change bed clothes and towels once a week (apart from hand towels in the bathroom).

Even then, I don't see how you're getting to 10 loads a week. Are you washing full loads or half loads?

I do 3 loads a week - one for bedding and towels, one for dark clothes, one for lights and whites. But they're all full or nearly full loads - unless there's something I need clean urgently I never do a small / half load.

If the issue is you have a lot of delicates in varying colours, then handwashing might be better?

Can you save up e.g. whites until you have a full load and then wash, rather than just doing a half wash?