Forum Topic

Water bill

Hi all, household of 2 adults who are generally conscious of not wasting water, water bill came today and seems very high £538. Is this normal? (Unmetered household)

Nina Bodil ● 350d23 Comments

Doesn't have to look messy when beautifully put together and shows a lot more initiative and individuality than something bought off the peg.  Peter I do hope you're  not one of those people who vacuums up and destroys all insect life outdoors denying the birds their natural food.  I see that there is an ongoing campaign to not kill slugs and snails - those the birds love too!Going back to water saving we used to run a bit of hosepipe out of the bath through the bathroom window and down to water the garden - the problem being no-one being too keen to start siphoning it out after small brothers' bathtime!

Philippa Bond ● 347d

‘..and you'll see sheds with walls all made out of discarded doors and old metal water tanks being used to collect rainwater off the shed roofs.’No wonder so many allotments look such a mess!

Peter Evans ● 347d

The new low flush loos are always out of order in stores, also some peopleare not able to push the button, levers are better.

Janice Evans ● 347d

I'd forgotten about the brick (or hippo)!  We've changed our loos now so they use less water when flushing. The old ones used a tremendous amount in comparison.  New ones you still have to check just to see they are working properly and not continuously filling.You can often find water butts on offer or being given away on say www.trashnothing.com.  Allotmenteers are very inventive and good at reusing and you'll see sheds with walls all made out of discarded doors and old metal water tanks (often linked together) being used to collect rainwater off the shed roofs.  Lids are important to keep children and animals safe.  There are also an amazing number of different shapes colours and sizes of them on the market now and not just big greennor black plastic ones.

Philippa Bond ● 347d

Thames Water might also supply you wit a weight that you can put in your toilet cistern,although a brick will do as this reduces the amOunt of water needed to fill it,and a 4 minute egg timer style device so you can time your shower accordingly.It is also not necessary to flush every time you use the loo,iykwim.

Keith Iddon ● 347d

I'm surprised you haven't had a lot of letters from Thames Water already as we are in a compulsory meter area!  They also do have a very informative website.  They always used to have offers as well on water butts and on ecoshower heads but maybe no longer.  Our tap water is all treated to be drinking water so using it to wash the car and water garden is rather a waste.  A loo that is not working properly and continually filling may not look like it but can lose gallons of water and you can also save a lot of water by not leaving the tap running when you are cleaning your teeth.  A water meter also helps Thames Water to locate leaks as they can narrow down where the leaks are and see very high water use or a great change in use.  You should get your name on the priority registers of all utilities if you or someone you live with has a medical condition or is vulnerable.    

Philippa Bond ● 347d

Thank you everyone who have taken time to reply. I’ve been trying to figure out how much we would’ve had to have used to rock up the £538 annual bill. The breakdown of the bill is £286 for water, and £242 for waste water.As we are a household of 2 it seems based on what I can read we would benefit being on a metre. It seems as though we can opt to have one installed and try it for a year and if we don’t want to keep it to then have it removed and continue unmetered. I’ll be looking into this.

Nina Bodil ● 347d

£538 is probably about £200 more than the OP  should be paying for normal water usage.

Steve Taylor ● 347d

Thames water metered supply £19 a month  = £228 a year..I don’t get a bill from anyone else concerning waste water,. I can only think it has been factored in by Thames Water I must admit last year I was a bit heavy on water use, but now I’ve got use to being metered, so making adjustments on how I use the water supply

Bernard Allen ● 348d

One company - Affinity Water. £14 per month is total bill. I am very mean though; however, I think most people can live on a surprisingly small amount of water if they put their minds to it. I used to think nothing of having the taps on full blast when brushing my teeth or washing my hands; not since I've been on a meter though!

Michael Brown ● 348d

Having a meter makes you more careful believe me.

Keith Iddon ● 348d

Thames Water is wasting billions of litres by allowing storm tanks to overflow and allow untreated sewage and water to be channelled to the River Thames.

Steve Taylor ● 348d

Michael.  Are you only billed by one company?  When living elsewhere we used to have bills from both Affinity and Anglian - one for the supply of drinking water and the other for the disposal of waste water.  Households have no choice of water companies whereas businesses seem to.Here in West London we are considered to be in a water stressed area (just because it keeps raining now doesn't mean all the reservoirs are full and will stay full all summer when the temperature is expected to rise) and Thames Water has been putting in as many water meters as they can.Unfortunately our old and combined waste water and rainwater drains mean that they canbeasily overflow when there is sudden heavy rainfall.  The promised  legislation to ban the wetwipes that cause so many blockages and llitter and clog our rivers is still awaited by ALL the water companies as these blockages cost them millions of pounds to clear. Take a look at Thames 21's website.  I see there is a talk later this month at The Chiswick Pier Trust.

Philippa Bond ● 348d

If this is an annual bill and there are two non wasteful users,in my opinion if you had a meter fitted you might save about £150,give or take.

Keith Iddon ● 349d

I'm on a meter. £14 per month. Affinity Water.. 👍😁

Michael Brown ● 350d

Won't make any difference as the OPs bill is for unmetered usage.

N V Brooks ● 350d

For an unmetered premises, this is the equivalent of what used to be called the water rates - usually based on the rateable value of the property. Having a meter is usually cheaper and means you can manage your usage. The waste charge is usually linked to the usage - i.e. they assume that most of what comes out of the tap goes down the drains.

Richard Greenhough ● 350d

Annual.. unmetered.

Nina Bodil ● 350d

For what length of time is that bill?

Keith Iddon ● 350d

Check for leakages  ... taps left running etc.And faulty loo systems!

Jim Lawes ● 350d

We use around 500 litres a day on average and our water/waste water/ standing charge bill was c.460 for 2024. Unmetered it was pushing £700.00

N V Brooks ● 350d

I’ll look into metre for sure. How much water are you using in your household, and how much do you pay if I may ask? The bill mentioned is for both water usage and waste water.

Nina Bodil ● 350d

Sounds low if anything. Get a meter fitted and save a lot of money. Three adults, bill down by over 30% since meter installed.

N V Brooks ● 350d