your Water rates

[TriplexDread]

We had a discussion recently on hose pipe bans, it made me wonder today do we get ripped off all over the country?

I am personally paying £22PM for my water and I live on my ownin a two bedroomed flat. There is a family next door that fosters children (approx 5 at present) their washing machine is constantly on the go, needless to say bathing the kids aswell. Now I haven't as yet asked her what their bill is but I can pretty much guess its £22PM.

When I call United utilities about this the allways tell me its down to the value of the house and they do know the ratable value is not always right and needs amending, however they have been saying this for 8 years to me and they still have not ajusted their rating system. They offer a meter sytem for people that live on thier own however this again is entirely down to the landlord of the property. If the landlord says no then they are not allowed to fit a meter.

All i'm saying is the power of the internet is a truely amzing thing


Does anyone else have an opinion on this because it annoys the S*it out of me!

 

[Ian]

Have you asked your landlord for a meter? We're renting, and we've got one so I can't really complain as we only pay for what we use - probably works out at around the same as yours though I think.

 

[arbour]

The trouble in the UK is that we just do not conserve water.
Some friends have water butts all round their house and use a recycler to re-use bath/shower/basin & washing up water. The outlay is not much, but the benefit is

My parents are on a water meter and their water bill is now much lower, my Mum tries to recycle what water she can from washing up.

Why do we not have covered reservoir's, that way you loose less water from the sun, or take water from the sea. Thames water near me are useless the amount they loose a day is very poor

 

[TriplexDread]

well I was told I would actually save money as I do live on my own.

My bill would be approximately £15 - £17 which I see as a big percentage nearly 25% a month. No I havent go round to asking them yet, although I dont think they will refuse

 

[itsme]

I have a water meter, and have had for 16years, I had to take the water comp to court and I won, but nowadays you have no problems installing a meter as that is what the government want?

my annual water charges are £112.00.
I dont skimp on water just use as usual

 

[Taffycat]

This is an interesting thread Trips - we're with Welsh Water, don't have a meter and the annual bill is £391.26 (or £32.61 per month) we're just a two-person household, living in a small 2-bed-bungalow. Hmmm - water meters begin to sound interesting ... do they charge per litre?

 

[PotGuy]

We do not have a shortage of water

Thames Valley Water alone (London & surrounding ares, like me) lose 196 million gallons A DAY through leaks

thats 55 gallons PER HOME PER DAY

They have not been fined, but forced to replace 200 miles of pipes by 2010

There are over 20,000 miles of pipes in london alone.

 

[itsme]

This is an interesting thread Trips - we're with Welsh Water, don't have a meter and the annual bill is £391.26 (or £32.61 per month) we're just a two-person household, living in a small 2-bed-bungalow. Hmmm - water meters begin to sound interesting ... do they charge per litre?

Water meter charges as follows I am with WW also.
date 19/12/05 up to 21/06/06 [six months]Water Standing charge £13.32 Consumption 28 CM @ 113.93p = £31.21 Sewerage Standing charge £14.42 Drainage £24.47
It works out at app 500litres for 30P =Approx£112.00 per year
A bit cheaper than yours, also two people

Get one

 

[Adywebb]

I'm with Surrey and East Sutton Water and have a meter - my last 6 monthly bill was £57.

At my previous home, without a meter and based on rateable value etc, my bills were around £200 a year (5 years ago).

So a meter is cutting my bills by around 50%, and like itsme, I just use what I want

 

[blacks84]

We were living in a student house a while back and were a little shocked to find an £800 water bill come through the door!

Needless to say it went in the bin so we ended up getting free water for 2 years!

 

[Taffycat]

Water meter charges as follows I am with WW also.
date 19/12/05 up to 21/06/06 [six months]Water Standing charge £13.32 Consumption 28 CM @ 113.93p = £31.21 Sewerage Standing charge £14.42 Drainage £24.47
It works out at app 500litres for 30P =Approx£112.00 per year
A bit cheaper than yours, also two people

Get one

Thud..... that was me fainting! Wow Itsme, that is a big difference,

even your Standing Charges are less! Our's are £99.95 for Water Standing Charge and £124.62 for the Drainage (which to be honest, I hadn't really noticed before, as I usually cut to the grand total at the bottom of the bill........

oh-oh, ground is coming up to meet me again........

 

[TriplexDread]

Thanks for all your input peeps. Gotta get landlord to send a letter to United utilities to give them the ok to fit a meter.

All red tape

 

[floppybootstomp]

Two things:

Our water here in the UK, is good. It's good and cheap. You can drink from the tap and know it's safe unlike lots of other countries worldwide, even as close as some parts of Spain.

Our water distribution infrastructure is old, most of it needs replacing. This is why it currently leaks away millions of gallons a day.

So why don't the water companies replace those pipes and channels and stuff? Simple. Because they only exist to make money.

When a public (read: Nationalised) service went private (probably Thatcher, but I ain't sure) companies inherited an old, unreliable and crumbling distribution network but they weren't bothered, as far as they were concerned their only responsibility was to shareholders and Director's salaries.

Now, Ok, maybe that's kinda ok, but is it not sheer hypocrisy for them to tell us to save water, introduce a hosepipe ban when if they were to plough some of their millions, billions, of profits into rebuilding the distribution network there would never ever be a water shortage.

Come on, this is the UK, we get a lot of rain.

The water companies are just greedy rip off capitalist gits and it makes me MAD.

Rant over - hmmph.

I don't mind the charges, just can't stand the greed and the hypocrisy.

And no, I ain't a friggin' communist either

 

[Taffycat]

Bet that feels better out than in Flops

 

[PotGuy]

I know I have said this already, but it just makes me so mad.

196 million gallons lost a day, just in Thames Valley area. How is that legal? Why are these people not castrated??

 

[floppybootstomp]

Bet that feels better out than in Flops

Damn right

Potguy: They're not castrated because as far as I'm aware they'd have to be convicted in a criminal court of a crime.

And 1) As far as this Goverment's concerned, they ain't commited no crime.

and 2) Castration as a punishment kinda died out around circa 1601

 

[PotGuy]

Well when I get into office...p).... I'm going to re-instate capital punishment.

But instead of losing their life, they will lose their manhood.

Oh how the crime statistics would fall...

 

[darcy]

in some municipalities in US, water charge absorbed by landlord, { and, i reckon } presumably incorporated into the rent. is dependent on what area in US one lives.

 

[itsme]

Ok here is what happened between, myself and Welsh water; I asked for a meter and was refused, so I refused to pay my water rates [1987] knowing Welsh water would take court action; Ummm that’s what I wanted saved me suing them? It took 2 years for the case to get to arbitration at Cardiff county court.

Unknown to WW the Evening post [local paper] were there at my request, but could not attend the hearing but had access to the outcome, WW had four representatives present against little old me,

After a lengthy discussion between them WW and the registrar, [me taking notes] the registrar then ask my opinion as to why I refused to pay, and any questions I needed to ask WW.

1 why should? I pay the same as a family of 3/4/5/6/7/8/+.

2 I am not refusing to pay? It is just that I think the system is wrong as with Gas/Electricity, so Water should be metered.

At this point WW interrupted and objected to my answer, it was overruled.

I then pointed out that WW had said whatever water falls out of the weather belongs to them, and I should pay for this, is that true I asked WW, Yes came the reply, my question? Therefore I would like you to erect a canopy over my house to stop YOUR water damaging my property is that at all possible?

At this point the registrar had a BIG grin on his face, and called for a break in the proceedings.

Twenty minutes later he restarted, Mr Davies, just one thing I will ask of you will you pay for the service if a meter was installed? Yes I replied.

Registrar: My decision is this; you the Water board MUST supply and/or fit a meter at Mr Davies’s premises within 7 working days.

Mr Davies shall not pay any monies to you for one year; upon receipt of the annual statement both WW and you Mr Davies must attend this court for the payments outstanding to be calculated on the usage of water during that period.

Result at the time = three year period based on one years usage with a meter= £128.00 as compared with £708.00.

WW were not very happy ? I was .

 

[TriplexDread]

Very nice.

What annoys me how can any company in any country lay claim to natural rain water? They taking the p*ss (literally)

The only thing they should be charging for is supply after cleaning and distribution. Damn imagine if a company one day was set up to supply us with Air?

Maybe on Mars NOT here. Am I gonna live on Mars? Nah I doubt it very much!