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AIBU?

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Original poster

Water rates

122 replies

Roundabout78 · 04/02/2023 21:49

How much do you pay? Ours is around £90 per month, sometimes slightly more. Family of 4, one shower each per day. Ours is more expensive than most people we know, and United utilities estimate we use the same as a household of 9 people?! Surely this isn’t right?

OP posts:
allthegoodusernameshavegone · 05/02/2023 07:49

£7.50 per month with meter, just the 2 of us, daily showers, occasional bath, washing machine twice a week.

Funkyblues101 · 05/02/2023 07:55

Roundabout78 · 04/02/2023 22:05

Probably 10 min showers for me an my daughters, shorter for husband. Washing machine…1-2 loads per day, usually a quick wash though rather than a full cycle (don’t know if that makes a difference). Water pressure is crap, wondering if there is a leak somewhere. Turning everything off and checking if meter moves is a good idea, seems obvious don’t know why I didn’t think of that.

Show quote history

Genuine question, how can a family of four need to do two full loads of washing a day? We do maybe 6 a week including towels and bed linen, and the clothes washes are not full full. How do you make so many clothes dirty?

TuxedoJunction · 05/02/2023 07:58

Ours works out at around £45-50 a month, metered with Southern. Family of 3. Daily showers (with a few baths a week), dishwasher on once a day, washing machine every other day. Lots of toilet flushing as DH works from home a lot. Car washing every other week. Filtered water dispenser on fridge, which encourages lots of water drinking.

LakieLady · 05/02/2023 07:59

£34 a month, just me, only showers, never baths, washing machine every 5 days or so, dishwasher about the same.

That's with a meter, Southern Water.

kasho5 · 05/02/2023 08:02

That sounds awfully high.

Do you have push button toilets as they are well known for leaks? If you put a piece of toilet paper on the back of the bowl does it get wet without the toilet being flushed?

https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-advice/leaks/check-if-you-have-a-leaky-loo

JudgeRudy · 05/02/2023 13:06

crazycatladyof6 · 05/02/2023 00:24

No they don’t. They collect water from your clothes. They are not plumbed into the mains!

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Yes, this has already been corrected. I was thinking about the old style driers that use cool water to condense the 'steam' coming off the hot clothes.

AuntieMarys · 05/02/2023 13:07

£30 a month with a meter. 2 of us...used to be £42, then £37.

TheFormidableMrsC · 05/02/2023 13:08

JudgeRudy · 04/02/2023 21:56

Do you have a condenser tumble drier on regularly? They use water

My condenser dryer is not connected to water. Why would it be?

TheFormidableMrsC · 05/02/2023 13:11

That seems a huge amount OP. When we were a family of four it was around £35 a month and that was with a teen who thought 40 minute showers were ok 🙄. I now pay on average 20 a month for me and DS. That's with washing up, daily showers and a couple of loads of laundry a week. I do have a water saving shower head and in the summer I collect as much water as I can and use on the garden. It's the waste water that is costly.

CeeJay81 · 05/02/2023 13:11

Water prices differ across the UK. I'm in Wakes and it's more expensive than say London. £59 a month unmetered 3 bedroom house.

TheFormidableMrsC · 05/02/2023 13:12

Whatsherusername · 04/02/2023 23:00

18 a month essex and suffolk water 2 people on a meter and baths maybe 3 times a week showers the rest of the time

Am i being thick but how does a condensing tumble dryer use water? I have to empty the water mine collects once it dries the clothes (or once its full up and wont run anymore lol)

No you're not, I mentioned this too. A condenser dryer does not use water! It collects it though!

AndSoFinally · 05/02/2023 13:19

£55 a month. Not on a meter.

There's 5 of us, baths for the baby, and a couple of large fish tanks that need water changes every week. Probably better off not on a meter for now

hauntedvagina · 05/02/2023 18:17

JudgeRudy · 04/02/2023 21:56

Do you have a condenser tumble drier on regularly? They use water

How?

Baconand · 05/02/2023 18:20

We have separate bills for waste and fresh water from two different companies. The fresh water is about £90 a year and the waste is £35 pm. I tried to go to metered but it is a headache when you have 2 suppliers so I’ve left it for now as bigger battles to fight. But when we were on a meter at a larger house but same usage it was £26pm
total so I know I’m being ripped off.
2 adults, 1 DC and loads of laundry. But no baths.

Baconand · 05/02/2023 18:21

hauntedvagina · 05/02/2023 18:17

How?

Show quote history

They use water to cool it. You can hear ours draw water during the cycle.

hauntedvagina · 05/02/2023 18:30

@Baconand condenser tumble dryers are not plumbed in. The only water you can hear is that that has come from your clothes.

Baconand · 05/02/2023 18:31

hauntedvagina · 05/02/2023 18:30

@Baconand condenser tumble dryers are not plumbed in. The only water you can hear is that that has come from your clothes.

Ours is! But it also washes. But when drying it definitely draws water to cool. It says so in the manual

hauntedvagina · 05/02/2023 18:33

@Baconand ah that makes sense. A washer / dryer can end up using heaps of water. A condenser tumble dryer doesn't, you just plug them in.

IncompleteSenten · 05/02/2023 18:35

My bill was £515.28 this last year, I pay over 8 months so it was about 65 a month for 8 months.
I'm not on a water meter though

OhmygodDont · 05/02/2023 18:35

MoonlightMemories · 04/02/2023 22:10

Single person household here - about £40 a month (though apparently my bill is going to increase by about 10% this year, due to Anglian Water having increased energy costs or some such, donthats something to look forward to!). I do tend to have quite long showers though and do maybe 3 or so washing loads a week. Do often need to flush the loo/handwash a lot at times due to having a medical condition, so that probably ups my water usage a bit too. On a water meter and give readings every month.

That’s crazy we are Anglian water. They just emailed bill going from £44 to £39 a month five person household. We are capped but metered if that makes sense.

SeasonFinale · 05/02/2023 18:36

Sorry but how do you generate Washing for 1 to 2 loads per day?

kitcat15 · 05/02/2023 18:38

240 a year UU….3 adults…no metre….often have GDs staying as well

OhmygodDont · 05/02/2023 18:39

We also have a 14ft pool and veg plot and tanks using water 😅

simbobs · 05/02/2023 18:42

Ours is £85 a month, no meter. I need to check whether we pay for 12 months or only 10 as I think it is way too much. From the comments on here I am seriously thinking about getting a water meter.

Bullshot · 05/02/2023 18:46

It’s impossible to compare with others. However my household is 3 adults ( usually at home so flushing toilets often). Daily showers, once a day washing machine, dishwasher etc.

in previous house we were not on a meter and our water rates were approx £35 per month . When e moved to a slightly larger house few years ago the rates were going to work out at £80+ per month, so we had a water meter installed . Currently on £54 per month.