Water bills / useage

[roshi42]

Water bill keeps going up and up and up… it’s just mad. I assume because the water companies are thieving b*stards and have taken all our money in bonuses for decades without any investment back into the infrastructure and are passing on the costs of works to the public now they’re being forced to do them. 10 years ago I paid £25 a month, now they’re suggesting £100 😮

I have a standard 2 bed terrace house, don’t do any gardening, just me and my toddler - so 2 people total. Yes, my useage has increased since having the baby, with the laundry and baths, but I’m wondering if I have a leak somewhere or something - I just don’t see how I can be using that much!

Can anyone else share their useage figures? My bill says I’m using approx. 300 litres a day which is apparently above average.

Family of five using 512l. Yes, I think you are a very high user or more probably have a leak.

There are tests you can do by turning off the stop cock and seeing if the meter still spins, but I've never done it, so have no practical advice.

Do you bath or shower? Do you use a dishwasher (recommended for water saving)? How many laundry loads a week? Any visible running in your toilet or dripping taps?

A quick look around water company websites found instructions on how to find a leak. This is one of them:

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/leaks/leak-test/is-there-a-leak-inside-your-home/

I'm pretty sure if you speak to the water company in your area they will also be helpful. Anglian used to be very good with this stuff.

We have a smart meter which reports usage by the hour. A couple of times we've left a tap dripping while away for a week. Same usage around the clock so it looked like a leak. They emailed us within days to let us know.

Thank you - that’s a really helpful link. I’ll have a look for my water meter!

Thanks for responding. I shower, toddler has baths, but neither of us every single day tbh - most days but not all. Use a dishwasher and keep hand washing up to a minimum as I hate it anyway. I’d say we do run the dishwasher and washing machine daily for each on average… although not at the weekends. I’m not a low user of water but I can’t see I would be especially high either tbh.

I’ve emailed South East water to flag it and ask their advice!

I’ll feel like a mug if I’ve been paying for a leak for ages…

@roshi42 if you do have a leak check out what the company say about leak allowances.

Have a look at your water meter and see if it's moving while nothing is running. If so, then yes you've potentially got a problem. In that case, follow the route of any pipework in your property, does it smell musty in any areas, any signs of mould on walls, insects or evidence of a slug in any area.