Water Bill

[lornamarie]

Hello all!
I just thought I'd post about a little problem I have, to see if anyone can shed a bit of light for me!
I had a letter from Severn Trent Water a couple of days ago, informing me that my direct debits were going to change from £21.65 a month to £56.70, the first payment due on the 1st of January. I called them up and of course asked why!? They told me that my water usage was unusually high. They said on average, a normal household of two people use between 1500 and 2000 litres of water a day, however my average is 4000 litres!? I do not use this amount of water. Myself and my partner work full time so this is ridiculous.
I had a water meter put in, in May. They told me it was a new regulation for rented property. They have based my average usage from May to October. The lady I spoke to told me to check my meter and record it while we're at work or in bed, when no water is being used. Then check it when we get home, or get up. Obviously if the reading has gone up, there must be a problem somewhere right?
Has anyone else had this problem?
Any advice or help would be very much appreciated!!!
Thank you!!!

[Bluefish]

You could just have a dodgy meter, over reading?

[lornamarie]

Yeah I think that might be the case. We've to give them our reading then they'll send somebody out. To raise from £21.65 to £56.70 is a hell of a lot of a price increase!

[Perpetua]

That doesn't sound right at all Lorna . . . I'm on a meter ( through choice ) and my water bill is a fraction of what my unmetered neighbours pay.

Admittedly, there is only me - but still!

Is there a Water Regulatory Board/Ombudsman? If there is, I'd get in touch with them and tell Severn Trent that you have/intend to.

[Blownupdolly]

Could there be a leak somewhere you don't know about? Although, saying that, it would probably be quite a significant one to raise it that high ???

[Bluefish]

Is the meter in the house lm or outside?

[ragjoy]

slightly of topic but we all read and talk about gas and electricity prices but you never hear or read anywhere near the complaints about water prices.
from what i gather they charge us a huge percentage of our bill to give us a better service by changing old pipes etc etc then when its hunky dory will the prices drop or will they start again or is it never ending.
whilst im on me soap box BT telephone line rental, how much did/does a line cost too put in and maintain, total monopoly BT you virtually have too rent there line albeit via another provider.
my father worked in groundworks most of his life and the services were and still are dug in by the builders and basically a pipe is dropped in the ground and BT poke there cable down it, yet you pay line rental forever.
many now dont want a landline but to have broadband you basically have to have one or at least pay line rental.
make your own mind up but i think both water and BT as bigger scams as electricity and gas.
oh, and you must have heard the new energy one, we will pay upto £200 per year so we can be energy efficient or the energy companies can become energy efficient.
this means we pay for them to be able to get cheap efficient fuel that they will flog to us and the government think thats good.
i know money make he world go round but it just seems to me that if we the tax payer pays for the infrastructure of any of the above when its finished why is someone allowed to sell us what we bought in the first place.
oh well thats my whine for the day
raggy............

[Bluefish]

ah but raggy we are to pay only 7 billion for the new energy

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2012 12:07:14 GMT lornamarie said:

They said on average, a normal household of two people use between 1500 and 2000 litres of water a day

That much a day???? I think their figures are way out of kilter, surely 300 litres would be nearer the daily mark for two. You really do have a problem, with them, plus it sounds like you have several houses plumbed into your line or of course, it could be that you're ultra clean & you both bathe multiple times a day & flush the loo an awful lot!

[ragjoy]

Dec 2, 2012 13:47:40 GMT Bluefish said:

ah but raggy we are to pay only 7 billion for the new energy

ah well my mistake, didnt realise it was small change

raggy.............

[scooter]

Have you by chance changed the water in the pool since the new meter went in Lorna?

[lynwlt]

Sounds as if there is either a problem with the meter, or there is a leak between the meter and your property.
I would have thought that a leak of that volume of water would have manifested itself somehow by now tho'...

I have had a water meter for 12 years now, pay about £14 a month, Southern Water.

[domesticextremist]

Dec 2, 2012 12:07:14 GMT lornamarie said:

. They said on average, a normal household of two people use between 1500 and 2000 litres of water a day, however my average is 4000 litres!? I do not use this amount of water. Myself and my partner work full time so this is ridiculous
Thank you!!!

1500 litres a day seems ridiculously high - I wonder how they calculate that.
Perhaps they are including how much they leak through their system before
it even gets to the house, ir perhaps you are being charged for the privilege
of being flooded.

Anyhoo, if it has doubled, then it would suggest a leak between meter and
house, so demand they come around and look at it. (also demand they send
you a proper bill rather than DD, makes it easier to check and withhold
payment when they start taking the rise).

[raid2506]

1500 litres a day is about right, I measured our a few years back and over a week we used roughtly 1300 a day for 3 of us.

[lynwlt]

www.ccwater.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.388

try this calculator..