Water Bill

[Dagman]

Hi Ab'ers, has anyone elses water bill gone up by £10 a month? We have been on a meter for 5 years, nothing has changed, same consumption, no leaks. There is only two of us. The letter we got doesn't show a reason just a huge jump in the future monthly debit. I will call them later but if no one else has this going on then I could question why us. TIA.

[barry1010]

No, what area do you live in? Can you log in to your account and see if the unit prices have gone up?

[bhg481]

It might help to know which provider you are with but ours, with Thames, has dropped.

[barry1010]

Is this relevant? https://www.newlondonutilities.org/water-rate-increase-effective-feb-1-2023

[bobbinwales]

Maybe your usage over the last year were more than your Dd so there taising it to catch up. They should of given you the calculations on your statement& fourcast

[bobbinwales]

Barry that's for USA utility company... in dollars and cubic inches

[bednobs]

mine with thames too has also gone down. As bob said, is the DD not covering what you have used perhaps?

[bhg481]

Are you sure your usage hasn't changed? Have you compared the figures the water company provided with those from previous years? Our usage certainly changed with the pandemic in that we stopped going away camping for weeks at a time and were using someone else's water. As the pandemic faded we started going away a bit more and our usage figures reflected this. At first our extra usage caused us to get behind our estimated use and our DD was adjusted to allow for this and pay back the deficit. Now the deficit has been repaid and our usage is going down again our DD is being reduced. Our water company explains exactly how they've calculated our DD payments; yours should too.

[-SharonA-]

Yes my bill has gone up by £60. I am with Thames and not on a meter. So roughly I'm paying £300 each 6 months.

[goodgoalie]

How many cubic metres are you using each half year, and when was your meter last read?

[bednobs]

that does seem huge (to me anyway) my DD which covers my bill is around 30 pm

[bhg481]

Our DD has just been reduced from £19 per month to £13 per month, which, I suspect, is a little too low; the previous DD had an element of catch-up included and now we have a slight surplus but our usage will probably drop a little as we get back to camping.

[Dagman]

Sorry, didn't get back due to work. Our usage has increased slightly from 292 litres a day to 305, we are with United Utilities. The new dd will be 43 a month. Will call them Friday when I'm off. We've maybe gone over a threshold so they are increasing our debit, I will also check the meter readings tonight and check in the morning to see if it's moved much. Thanks for your answers.

[bhg481]

Even you new rate is only around 2/3 the amount sharon is paying non-metered.

[Dagman]

Thats a lot bhg481, sharon should consider a meter, folks can do a check online to compare. It was vastly cheaper for us. Now then, I have called them (open til 8) and found I am 73 in debt (must have been thirsty for a couple of months) so the auto increase is to recoup that amount, which they'd get within 7 months. The new charges were 43 a month all year so they'd get more. The enquiries agent asked if I wanted it reduced and I suggested 38 as they'd still get their due amount in about a year. The debt wasn't obvious on the paperwork. So that was why after all that!

[Canary42]

These DD "adjustments" are usually applied using a computer algorithm - and they can be notoriously unreliable (usually in the Company's favour, so they're not bothered).

[Dagman]

That's right canary42, I know it is only a fiver a month I've got back but better in my savings, glad I enquired.

[bhg481]

Dagman // sharon should consider a meter//

She certainly should. Most companies will let you try metering for a year and switch you back if you don't like it - Thames did with me although it was many years ago. They also offer you free gimmicks for reducing water usage - a thing to put in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water / flush and a pressure reducing valve for power showers.

[barry1010]

Two year meter trial for Daman
"Remember, our lowest bill guarantee means you won’t be worse off during your two year trial and if you don’t make a saving you can switch back to your fixed bill - you can’t lose!"
https://www.unitedutilities.com/my-account/all-about-water-meters/apply-for-a-water-meter/You-can-save-with-a-water-meter/

Unless you have 20 elephants in the garden, a houseful of teenagers and you run a car valeting service from home on the side you'd be bonkers not to trial the meter.
It's saved us a lot of money over the years.