General Chat

Staffs Col

Your Mum should apply to her supplier for Assessed Household Charge' if she lives in a house with more bedrooms than people.

Or 'Single Occupier Tariff':

I was unable to have a meter fitted and the surveyor advised me to apply for the assessment and I did get my bills decreased. Then my cousin told me about claiming for single occupancy. This was introduced in April 2009 and I claimed in March 2013.
I am pleased to say that my bills were backdated to the start of the scheme and had a very large credit that meant I had nothing to pay for 2013-2014 and again for this year 2014-2015 :-D Plus I still have a credit balance of £52.50 !

Well worth looking into for you Mum :-)

so "get a meter" seems to be the answer

I live alone on a meter £12.52 a month Mum lives alone not on a meter £51.50 a month

Severn Trent water, two of us in a house with. Meter. Can't remember the exact amount but it is just under £30 a month.

I think when they owe a large refund they are supposed to offer you the lump sum. No way would I leave it in their pockets! :-(

We were forcibly put on a water meter a couple of years ago. Despite our concerns of higher bills, we have been pleasantly surprised at the savings. No change in our water usage. Because we'd been paying annually, we are still in credit.

Taking GR members suggestions we notified the board who deals with the sewage/waste water that all downpipes have soak-aways and that our gardens are lower than the level of the road (they could check that on googlemaps). That component has been taken off the bill + we had a refund of about £75 for back dated payments.

The last un-metered water bill (2012) Band E house in the SE was £390 pa and waste water/sewage £486 pa.
Monthly that equates to £32.50 + £40.75 = £73.25 (if the calculator is working properly!)

Does anyone have a downpipe which goes into a soakaway - if not check as quite often a garage will have one.

If so - tell Water Board and this will save you at least £10 p.a. maybe more.

It is listed on bill as Surface Water Drainage

we have a .lot of water here in Wales :-D

That sounds really cheap.....even 30 years ago I don't remember it being as low as that

just the one bill Jax - I pay £13 per month - that's for water and sewerage

check online for your area supplier what the average un-metered yearly rates are.....

having a metre doesnt mean skimping as I carry on as normal without a thought to saving and yearly is far less tha a fixed un-metered charge,,,,and I use the washing machine almost daily,plus I have 2 large ponds which get a half water change in early summer and needs a weekly top up..........mine work out avg of £280=£350 per year...sometimes a big saving and others not-----but the water is clean,and always on supply and demand. :-D

Do you not get two bills Ann? One for sewage the other for consumption?

Ours were £91 (consumption) and £122 (sewage) for the last 6 months

My water and sewage is £24.50 per month. I don't know why it should vary so much. We're all using the same stuff. :-S
Perhaps the water is cheaper here because we've got so much of it ;-)

for July last year until January this year - £83.92 and I am in credit by £3.11

I live on my own in a three bedroomed semi and have a water meter

Different areas I suppose and different type of homes, I am in a inner terrace which is in the A band for council tax. Severn Trent water Authority in the Midlands.

Ours off the meter were around £37 per month, now on a meter with 3 of us in a 3 bed terrace, they are around £39.

You really should look into getting a meter by the sound of it.

I think so too JG........so why is mine, almost double!

Ours are £37approx a mth based on 8 payments per year. This is on the rateable value of the house as we are not on a meter.
Good value I think for clean water on tap.

Jax....I know you have a pool really ;-)

mine is about £48 a month

to be honest with all the rain fall this year they should be free

Daughter has said hers is £40 a month and she hadn't got a washing machine until recently.....best get a meter installed.

Did have problems when we had a pub....bills were higher than the average household, but we once had a leak which flooded the lounge.....when I rung up the waterboard to ask why it was so high (I had forgotten about the flood).....she replied.... 'do you have a swimming pool' :-D