How 2 make sense of your water bill
Bills can be scary and confusing, and water bills can be more confusing than most. Let’s take a look.
Firstly, your supplier will depend on where you live. If you aren’t sure who your water company is check the map on CCWater’s website. Whoever supplies your water, these tips can help you make sense of your bill and maybe even save money!
Are you on a meter?
- If you have a new build house (since 1990) you will be on a meter you will be billed on how much water you actually use. These usually work out cheaper if you are single or live with one other person, but be mindful of using water wisely. Meters might not be the best option for families.
- If you aren’t on a meter you will be billed on a fixed, yearly charge called Rateable Value (RV). Generally, if you live in a bigger house you will have a larger RV bill. If you think your bill is too large, use a water meter calculator (see CCWater’s website) to see whether you might save money on a meter.
- If you think it would be cheaper to have a meter installed your company will install one for free - usually within three months of your request. You can opt to revert to RV billing if you tell the company within 12 months.
- If you are renting, make sure you check whether water bills are included in your rent. In Scotland water is paid for as part of your council tax, but this is not the case in the rest of UK.
Check your meter regularly
- Your company should be able to tell you where your meter is if you aren’t sure. Often they are under a small, square cover in the pavement outside your house. Otherwise they could be under your kitchen sink or in a hallway cupboard.
- If your meter turns when you don’t have any taps running you may have a leak. Call the company immediately to let them know! You may be eligible for a leak allowance, which means they might let you off the cost of the water which leaked.
- The company is obliged to read your meter at least once every two years. They will bill you more often than this and will estimate your consumption. If you think they have overestimated your bill then you can supply them with your own reading and they will give you a new bill based on that reading.
- Be sure to check that the serial number for your meter matches the serial number on your bill. It’s not unknown for a customer to end up paying for their neighbour’s water by mistake.
What you pay for
- Only about 85p of your bill relates to drinking water. Roughly half of the full bill is for sewerage, which includes a charge for removing surface water. Fresh, clean, safe water delivered to your door AND all the nasty stuff removed from you…it’s a bargain!
Look after your drains
- Don’t tip fat down the drain! Although it’s hot and liquid when you throw it down the sink, by the time it’s travelled twenty feet it has cooled down and set harder than concrete, blocking the sewer and potentially flooding your bathroom with sewage. Technicians use pickaxes to clear it! Anything you flush down the toilet (e.g. nappies) could block the sewer and cause problems.
- If you have a soakaway, or you know that rainwater from your house and garden drains into a stream or other natural course, you might be eligible for a rebate of some of the money you have already paid on your sewage bill.
Got a question?
If you have any problems, or you need advice, call your water company. You can also contact your local Consumer Council for Water office (find their contact details here). CCWater is an independent consumer group which exists to represent water consumers across England and Wales. They are not your water company and are independent from Ofwat, the economic regulator. They are there to help you!
N.B: CCWater & Care for the Family are not responsible for the content of this article.
Written by Tom Kapella. Posted on 2nd June.
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