WaterSure?

[samsite]

I'm after a little help here, me and my partner are moving in to a new property which should be a cheerful experience but its turning in to a nightmare. The new house has a water meeter.

Reading the guide for water sure it said if we clame benefits OR have a disease like crohn's

We both work, were not and have never been on benefits, after doing a projected cost of over £500 a year water bill. I went to apply for water sure today to be torn to bits because I do not clam any other benefits i'm not entitled to this?!

Our water bill is going to go from £15 a month to at least £41 a month and thats one hell of a jump. I have been on the phone and have been told to take it up with my MP and or call CAB or don't buy the house.

Are these my only options, I have a stoma as well as this blasted crohns and I loose count of my toilet trips

 

[rygon]

Im on a water meter as I actually found it to be much cheaper.

There are ways of saving water:

only put the washing machine on with a full load
Have showers instead of baths
Use rainwater for the garden
If an older type toilet add a brick so it does use as much water

you can also get systems for using rain water for flushing the toilet

this link might help more http://eartheasy.com/live_water_saving.htm

A 2 bedroom house where I live was costing £36 pm, Im now paying £21 pm (living on my own) and its always enough

 

[samsite]

Thanks Rygon,

I just dont see where the savings can be made, even dropping the calculations down to 5 flushes a day, dish washer twice a week and washing cloths twice a week with 2 baths and 4 showes then im still paying double what we do now.
Its criminal that I have to think about not flushing the toilet after I have been and they can still loose billions of ltr's of water out of there system on a day by day bases.

sometimes I look at my situation and think for all the effort and pain I go though to work each day, signing on is the easy way out.

 

[Rebecca85]

£41 a month?! That sounds flipping expensive- we have a meter and pay maybe £100 per 6 months- much closer to the £15 a month you're used to paying.

How have they estimated your usage? And what water company will it be with, Severn Trent?

 

[samsite]

its a detached house, based on two sharing
15 toilet flushes a day (work from home) and that's optimistic
2 baths a week and 9 showers (feels odd sharing online washing habits!)
Dish washer on twice a week with washer on twice a week.

with around 2 hours a year with the hose pilpe.

I know I can bring the water use down but I don't feel im excessive other than my toilet habits. I just find it angering that im being penalised for not claiming benefits

 

[samsite]

if its not to much to ask, could (I know, odd question of the year) I know what your water use habits are as this kind of bill is a genuine worry for me (were with seven Trent)

 

[michaelearnest]

I feel bad for you all. I live in a city where we have our own water department and out water bill is about $15.00 per month. I water the yard, flush the toilet many times a day like you do.

 

[Rebecca85]

Yeah, I fully agree with the penalising for not claiming benefits thing. Even when I had to drop hours at work and go part time because of being too fatigued, I didn't qualify for ANYTHING as I was well enough to work sometimes. whereas it seems once you qualify for one benefit you get more thrown at you.

To be honest, our habits don't sound that different. We probably flush less than you (and have a water saving toilet but that is offset by the fact that BMs need 2 or even 3 flushes!). We wash up by hand, but that is supposedly less water efficient than a dishwasher. We use the washing machine more, but almost always on the Eco cycle. I guess we are quite aware of our water use habits, we do things like turn the taps off while brushing our teeth, and have a water jug in the fridge so we don't have to run the taps for cold water. But not to the point like some people I know who don't flush the toilet for a wee.

The main difference is we don't have baths or use the hosepipe- but I find it hard to believe that could account for the huge difference in price!

 

[rygon]

Yeh that does seem like the calculation is out. By hosepipe I think they expect you to water the grass which uses loads of water, rather than a few plants so that could be the reason.