Water rates again

[factor-fiction]

I know perhaps I should be on a weter meter but Mrs Factor is worried about not being able to have her daily hot bath and we do use the dishwasher/washer daily, so I'm stuck with paying the unmetered charges for now.

I have just received my bill for 2012/13 and once again, even though United Utilties are claiming bills are only going up by 4-5%, mine is again going up by 7% and will be a whopping £800 for the year.

I live in a modest detached house (band D) yet my bills seems to be roughly double those of others on AB. I can't challenge my banding because I know that as we've extended the next revaluation will put us in a band E.

I have written to UU and my MP several times in recent years about the regular 7-11% annual rises but never get anything other than confirmation that the charge is correct, a bland statement that average bills have only gone up by around 5% and a claim that it's good value for money.

Does anyone else get a bill for such an amount? I can't think where to turn next

[emeritus]

My water bill was very similar to yours Factor and would have been around £800.00 for the coming year. I decided to have a water meter installed around a month ago and they estimate that my Annual bill will now be around £400.00.
Looking at the meter reading after a month this looks about right.
I would say get a meter Factor or at least use the calculation tool that will be on your water providers web-site to work out your usage.

[factor-fiction]

Thanks emeritus. Does your expected bill of around £400 include all charges such a sewerage?
I want a meter but persuading Mrs Factor won't be easy.
At least I know I'm not alone with a £800 bill, but last time there was a thread most people were quoting much lower figures of £300-£400.

[boxtops]

We're band D factor - £13 a month..... we bath, we use the dishwasher and washing machine, flush the loo, occasional hose in the back garden in the summer....

[emeritus]

Yes it includes sewerage charges. I should have done it years ago.

[EcclesCake]

How many of you live in the house?

In the vast majority of cases if it is just two people then it is much cheaper to have a meter.

There is two of us and we live in a similar house to you and pay £23 per month on a meter.

[Nosha123]

I am on a meter, large house but only 2 adults, we pay £50 per month by DD but think we are a little in credit.
We have dishwasher, bath and shower every day etc.
Garden watering comes from a rain tank under ground though

[Old_Geezer]

Off the top of my head I have no idea what mine is coming to. But that said I'm convinced some are deliberately charging over the top to "persuade" you consumers that a meter is a good idea for your personal finances. There is not the slightest excuse for metered and non-metered average bills to be very different, but it is all insidious manipulation. IMO £800 does seem excessive. Maybe Mrs. Factor could bath in Evian to reduce the cost.

[factor-fiction]

Thanks. Yes I am persuaded by the arguments for a meter. I was just wondering

(a) Whether something has been going wrong and I have been overcharged- is my £800 pa way out of line
(b) Why water companies would pay to install a meter when they know customers bills will fall significantly (or does everyone change their habits significantly and halve their consumption)?

[sasskins]

I am in a 2 bed maisonette (Band A), and my water rates are now £400 a year. I live on my own and know I would benefit from a meter but UU say it's a shared water line with maisonette upstairs, so can't have one..

[EcclesCake]

OG, if the water companies are told that a house has four bedrooms they will assume it has the potential for four people to be living in it, and a two bedroom house to have two residents. If this is the only information they have then making a sweeping generalisation is their only option. By having a meter you only pay for what you use and not their estimate.

[factor-fiction]

Hold on- i've just looked at my bill.
I pay £350 for water and £450 for wastewater.
If I go on a meter should I expect both figures to fall or will the wastewater bit stay the same?

[emeritus]

No the metered charge includes both

[slaney]

I changed to a meter 5 years ago when my bill reached £500 - when I rang to ask I was told that that was the average bill for 7 heavy users ( I live on my own), so I asked for a meter to be installed
Bill is now the average, about £230/year.
If you look at this ..

http://www.yorkshirew...meter-calculator.aspx

..you will see that you would likely make a saving if you had a meter installed , factor, as for two, even with heavy usage, the yearly bill is about £403+

[emeritus]

There is a good article here Factor

http://www.moneysavin...ter-bills#calculators

[Old_Geezer]

Eccles. That theory falls down on the knowledge that the council knows how many residents a house has. In any case water is not something I believe should be available on a 'pay for what you use' basis. It is important all have enough for their needs since all society benefits not just the individual. Past generations knew this, but of late it has been ignored in what appears to be a desire to abandon provison by the society and looking out for each other, for a 'sort yourself out' ideology.

[missprim]

Because you have entitled your thread 'Water Rates Again,' I take it you have read previous posts on this?
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1100976.html
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1104672.html
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1100872.html

The link that emeritus has put on your thread is worth reading.
Remember that if you do have a meter fitted you can't change your mind.
As you live in a band D/E property your water bill will be on the high side and so you may be better off with a meter.
There are lots of ways you can save on your water consumption as I well know.I think I follow all the tips as I feel I pay too much for my metered water with United Utilities.
I'm pretty sure that different utility companies around the counry charge differently so you may be charged more from UU than others.
The main thing to ask yourself is......if you get a water meter and still feel you are paying too much, will you and your wife be prepared to make the changes
like taking a shower instead of a bath,not flushing the loo unless you do a poo,washing up once a day,not using an outside tap for washing your car,watering your plants,cleaning your patio?
These are just a few of the things I do now I'm on a meter but I had no choice as it was already here when I moved in.

[gingejbee]

I can't speak for all water suppliers but at least three DO allow you to revert to non-metered billing if you are dissatisfied with your metered bills - after one year. They do NOT remove the meter, but simply stop reading it.

[missprim]

I didn't realise that gingejbee but if you move into a property that already has a meter fitted, then you can't go back to unmetered charges based on the rateable value of the property.

[ladybirder]

Which 3 are those ginge?

[buildersmate]

Factor
I haven't read through all the stuff that others have provided, but a couple of thoughts and some answers to questions you asked.
You get metered on the water, but if you are connected to the sewage system you get stung again as they assess that a large proportion of the metered water goes back down the sewer - 90% for the utility that applies to me. It is possible to argue a different figure if you have a good reason - for example, folks with swimming pools (though they will ask where the drained water goes to) and others using lots for gardening etc.
My benchmark has been £1 per cubic metre for water supply and £2 to get rid of the stuff - perhaps United are slightly different. On top the fixed charges seem to work out at around £50 per year - same as for unmetered.
One thing you might not be aware of is the Assessed Charge system. This came in at OFWAT's bidding in 2007 and it applies if your utility is unable to fit a meter. If you live in an old house with old pipes at the supply point, you are likely to have steel (not plastic) pipes and apparently they can't or won't fit a meter at the boundary. The Assessed Charge for you would be £480 per year. I got that information from this document.
http://www.unitedutil.../Assessed_charges.pdf
Rather better than £800.
As I think others have said, you can reverse out the metering method if you don't like the outcome (though you force any subsequent buyers to have - but, hey, what the heck, you've sold the house by then). And it might just happen they UU can't fit a meter in which case you'd be paying £480 AND Mrs F can use as much water as she likes.
I only know this stuff because I have baulked this year at the unmetered charge from Thames that has gone over £500 for the same size house as you. However I built this house and the silly s@ds told me at the outset that they couldn't fit a meter - because I used the old supply pipes. So I investigated and discovered Assessed Charges. For me its a win-win, my assessed charge is £320. I'm currently trying to get it backdated to 2007.