Water and wastewater charges, am i paying too much , (hope this is in the right section)

[Dave7]

Situation.
With my recent health problems plus my wife passing away my mind has not been on such things.
Today I got notification of this years charges (1st April-31st March)...... its nearly £1,400.00.
Theoretically I live on my own but my daughter, SiL and 2 adult grandchildren have recently moved in..........I put that in as it probably negates thoughts of a meter.
So.......
How does that figure compare to other people's?

 

[ianrauk]

We were paying a high cost for water. Got a meter and it lowered the bill by at least 50%

But a 5 person house hold your bill will be quite high. Everyone showering everyday, baths, clothes washing. Cooking etc all adds up

 

[Dave7]

We were paying a high cost for water. Got a meter and it lowered the bill by at least 50%

But a 5 person house hold your bill will be quite high. Everyone showering everyday, baths, clothes washing. Cooking etc all adds up

Appreciate your response.
The family certainly make use of the shower/bath etc as they all work and seem to enjoy a bath most nights after work.

 

[derrick]

Ours has dropped since having a meter, there are only 2 of us.

 

[Dave7]

Ours has dropped since having a meter, there are only 2 of us.

My Bro is similar and pays less than half of what I pay.

 

[Dave7]

A question........
If I was to switch to a meter and find it's a bad idea could I switch back ?

 

[sungod]

A question........
If I was to switch to a meter and find it's a bad idea could I switch back ?

depends...
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/water/paying-your-water-bill/changing-to-a-water-meter/

 

[Mo1959]

Appreciate your response.
The family certainly make use of the shower/bath etc as they all work and seem to enjoy a bath most nights after work.

Surely they pay at least half?

 

[slowmotion]

A question........
If I was to switch to a meter and find it's a bad idea could I switch back ?

Before Thames Water made water meters compulsary, I wanted to find out if it made sense for our two person household to have one. I fitted my own water meter and took readings over a number of months. It turned out that metered water would be far more expensive, largely because we both like having baths. Unfortunately, Thames Water took away any choice shortly thereafter.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

@Dave7 Martin Lewis said that water charges in England would increase a lot this year.
I'm not sure what your options are, for us in Scotland water charges are included in the council tax bill.

 

[Dave7]

Surely they pay at least half?

I get just one bill so im talking about the actual amount. I assume (but stand to be corrected) the if I was married with 8 kids it would be the same amount. Conversely if it was just me it would still be the same amount.

 

[Dave7]

@Dave7 Martin Lewis said that water charges in England would increase a lot this year.
I'm not sure what your options are, for us in Scotland water charges are included in the council tax bill.

I dont think I have ANY options tbh. I dont know if the amount goes by post code, size of house or number of people. I will find out.
It just surprised me to see the amount.

 

[presta]

If you don't have a meter it's calculated on the estimated rental value of the property.

I don't see why anyone should still be allowed an unmetered tariff, just imagine what would happen to food prices and food waste if everyone could help themselves to as much food as they want for the price of an annual subscription to Tesco.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

When I lived in Englandshire some of that time was in a semi-detached home. Talking to the neighbour one day we discovered we were paying 20% more for water than they were.

Turned out we were paying more than everyone in the street bar one house that was paying the same as us. We queried it and was told that the figure was correct and if weren’t happy then we could get a water meter fitted. At that time we could have it fitoted and, if we ended up paying more over the first 6 months, we could go back to the fixed bill. We declined as we knew we would be moving soon after.

One of the reasons I am happy to be back in Scotlandshire.

 

[tom73]

Water bills have gone up a fair about the last few years. How much depends on your water company. The value is based on the rateable value of your house which is not the same as council tax bands.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg4jkexgl1o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn56p0qkky7o

The Consumer Council for Water website has lots of information about water bills, a handy FAQ's page and a water meter calculator.
https://www.ccw.org.uk/