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.

Do you have an eco setting on your washing machine? Do you do full loads or little & often?

We have a messy one year old and only do max 4 loads a week (towels & bedding washed every two weeks, but changed every week). Typically we do 2 loads a week on an eco setting & dishwasher every second day on an eco setting.

Not sure why a bath and shower are needed per day, surely he’s clean after the bath? Does he need to fill the bath up as much?

As 2 adults and a child, we’re apparently using 120l per day & there is normally at least one person wfh every day.

10 washing loads a week? Are you washing for your neighbours/family?

That doesn't sound right. As PPs have said, 2 showers, 1 bath, 1 dishwasher load, 2 washing machine loads are 300-400 litres. Flushing the loo is 6-13 litres, even if you are leaving the tap running while you brush you teeth, rinsing dishes under running water, going to the loo every hour, having extra long showers, you can't possibly be using a further 800ish litres in a day unless you haven't mentioned something eg you topped up a swimming pool or hot tub, washed the car, jet washed the patio, did all 10 loads of laundry on the same day.

I would check your loos first. Is there water running into the loo constantly? It's not uncommon for the seal on the flush to allow water to leak through 24/7.

1000 litres = 1 cubic metre. Imagine a cube with each side measuring 1 metre. Would you use that much in a day? Then look at the price per cubic metre on your suppliers website. It's usually about £1.50 depending on who supplies you.

However it's always a good idea to look at where you can make savings.
If you are on mains drainage then your sewerage bill will be based on the amount of water drawn into the house.

It's one shower a day each. So your DH has a shower and a bath every day? Could he skip the shower?
And ten washes seems a lot. We have three adults living here, full-time, and probably do four. Which I think is quite a lot, but DP and I exercise a fair bit and a lot of it is those clothes, I think.

Bed linens is one wash. Towels is another (maybe 2).
But how are you going through even clothes to account for 7 loads of laundry?

I dont mean this ti sound awful, but do you know how to do washing? I know a lot of people who were never actually taught by their parents. Some of the squash as much innas possible so they only need to do 1 a week, but nothing gets clean because no space for it to move. And others out a few things in each wash because they just dont know how much their machine can take.

how are two of you doing 10 loads a week??

I live on a farm, there are many people here and they are all very dirty with dirty clothes.

We do 7 loads a week.

We aren't to fussy about separating stuff though... are you one of those people that won't put your socks in with your tea towels?

For context, we’re 3 bed house, 1.5 people (DD here half the time). I do between 2-3 loads of washing a week. Granted I have low standards and a massive washing machine but even so, 10 loads!!!

You are just using a lot of water!You are probably doing 2-3x as much laundry as the average 2 person household and probably running the dishwasher more as well. We have a slimline one that we run 2 out of 3 days. Have I understood correctly that DH is taking a shower and a bath every day? Does he really need the shower as well?

10 loads of washing- 1 colours 1 blacks 1 whites 1 towels 1 bedding- what have I missed?!

How are you doing so much laundry?!

Are you in a new build by any chance - because there's always the possibility you are paying someone else's water bill (we didn't have that with water but did with electricity, paying for a 3 bed instead of a 1!).

I love how MN are horrified at how much laundry you do, my DH would put a wash on every day if he thought he would get away with it - and that's just his stuff, not mine!

We do probably 7 loads a week - 5 people, 7kg washing machine.

Change sheets weekly, towels probably get washed less.

But they all do hideous amounts of muddy sports, so that takes up a lot, especially as they often need the kit again for the next day.

Dishwasher is daily - I don't think that's excessive for 5 people?

I shower daily, there is usually one bath run daily that is used by at least 2 kids & OH.

I would be interested to know what our daily water use is.

@MrsMoastyToasty

1000 litres = 1 cubic metre. Imagine a cube with each side measuring 1 metre. Would you use that much in a day? Then look at the price per cubic metre on your suppliers website. It's usually about £1.50 depending on who supplies you. However it's always a good idea to look at where you can make savings. If you are on mains drainage then your sewerage bill will be based on the amount of water drawn into the house.

this - 1 cubic metre is not a lot

putting your usage into an estimator tool it suggests 205litres per person per day, so 410l which means your reading is widely above even that. Are you sure you've got that right?
www.anglianwater.co.uk/help-and-advice/save-water/water-usage-calculator/#

10 loads of washing!!?

Are you sure that you have the right unit

@TitsInAbsentia

Are you in a new build by any chance - because there's always the possibility you are paying someone else's water bill (we didn't have that with water but did with electricity, paying for a 3 bed instead of a 1!).

I love how MN are horrified at how much laundry you do, my DH would put a wash on every day if he thought he would get away with it - and that's just his stuff, not mine!

Of course it’s horrifying - presumably your DH doesn’t create a full load to himself everyday so that would be very wasteful. I don’t believe that, disabilities notwithstanding, a household of 2 can create 10 full loads of washing a week.

That is a lot of washing! Your poor back. My sister has 3 small kids and does similar amount of laundry to you.

Your poor back
more like "the poor environment"!!

Two of us here, I'm washing daily in the winter due to drying time/space and washing beds/towels/dog blankets once a week and so I'm hitting 10 washes.

(Don't have/want a tumble dryer.)

In summer though with the line drying I'd only ever need to do maybe 5 max, and that would usually include a change of clothes from messy chores to chill on a weekend.

I think you are very heavy users. I have checked my latest statement, we used 76m3 in the last 6 months and 85m3 in the 6 months prior. We are a family of 4. Typically do 6 or 7 washes a week.

According to my bill typical use over 6 months is:
One person 28m3
Two people 55m3
Three people 60m3
Four people 75m3
Five people 85m3

It equates one cubic metre to:
12 baths or
28 showers or
14 washes (washing machine)

You can have something like 8 quick showers for cost of 1 bath. I think it is deep baths that is upping your usage. If your DH needs them though not much you can do. Cut back on laundry a little.

Do full loads in washing machine, dishwasher every other day - use eco settings on both, 5-10 minute shower a day, shallower baths. Hippo (water brick) in toilet cistern. Turn taps off rather than let run.

DP's when I stayed/lived with them years ago to save for mortgage (2 years) got a water meter and it's halved their water use. They now do a strip wash every day and shower a week but this has only been for the past 6 months.

Are you in a new build by any chance - because there's always the possibility you are paying someone else's water bill
Someone in my apartment block discovered that the communal laundry was plumbed into their flat for purposes of the water meters - it hadn't mattered for the first 30+ years or so when it was water rates rather than meters.