Anglian water bill

[northernballer]

We moved last year from a non metered house to a metered one. It's 4 beds, 5 of us living here, three teens who like long showers and we have a lot of washing as all play sport so loads of kit, so I accept we are a high use household.

Last year they wrote to us saying we had a suspected leak which we fixed, they gave us some money off the bill but it still went up to £161 per month. Since then we have made a conscious effort to use less water but I accept we are still high use.

Yesterday I got notification that our DD was going up to £278 per month!! Even though when I looked at the bill our use had actually gone down 4%.

I rang them and they said we have a £900 debit on our account, even though we have only lived here 15 months. I asked for a breakdown and they couldn't really give me one and just said to check for more leaks. I last rang them in May when they agreed the £161 per month.

Has anyone else had similar? Surely £278 per month is not right no matter if we are high users? I can't afford it!

What is your actual usage in cubic meters or litres?

Trying to assess your water usage when one has no idea of the price per unit is a fairly pointless exercise.

Check your meter daily either by opening the cover or, if it's a smart meter, going on line. That will tell you how much you're using daily in cubic metres.

On Standard Tariff you pay approx £2.69/cubic metre for supply and a further £2.34 for waste water.

Have you done a leak check?

Can you hear water flowing when you'd expect it not to?

Make sure everything is turned off and that no tanks, including those in the loft, are filling. Check the meter for flow. If it shows one turn off the main stopcock. If that stops flow it suggests a leak in the house if it does not then probably an external leak.