Water meters

[hyperD]

I don't use the dishwasher and hand wash once every few days. I also shower briefly once a day. I don't flush the loos for #1s until it's glowing (if I've no company). #2s tend to stink the house out a bit. I've got eco-loo low flush toilets. I don't leave the tap running while I'm cleaning my teeth. I use the washing machine once every two weeks.

Gas is OK as I have the heating on low and I've only just got the heating on now.

Electricity bill is the killer - servers, pcs, monitors, ups, network...

[expat]

IIRC when I was in England we suspected a leak, and were advised to turn off the main stopcock and then watch the centre of the water meter, what looked like a giant screwdriver slot was in fact the lowest-geared moving part and any movement of that was therefore the most sensitive sign that water was still passing. Seems that even the lowest digit on the readout is a lot of water so it would take a long time to detect a small (but significant) leak.

[Platypus]

If anyone cares... I've just worked out my daily water usage and it seems that my bills are probably accurate

12 min shower = 96L
Dishwasher = 12L
6 flushes / day = 78L
Washing Machine (avg) = 34L (4 cycles per week average, that might be a bit high)
Hand / Teeth washing = 10L (tap running)
Kettle / Cooking = 2L
TOTAL = 232L

Multiply by "teenager factor" of 1.5 (one teenager for half the year) makes 348L per day.

Garden and everything else: very little use, what I use can probably be included in the excessive washing machine calculation above

I'm quite shocked actually. But relieved that my bills are correct (they show a usage of approx 350L per day)

[xoggoth]

Gordon Bennet! Maybe my usage isn't so high looking at that.

[Cliphead]

We don't have metered water in Scotland. What's the average monthly bill are y'all paying?

PS Doing some research it seems of the £1k or so I pay yearly in council tax about £300 is for water. Doesn't seem like a bad deal.

[SueEllen]

If anyone cares... I've just worked out my daily water usage and it seems that my bills are probably accurate

12 min shower = 96L
Dishwasher = 12L
6 flushes / day = 78L
Washing Machine (avg) = 34L (4 cycles per week average, that might be a bit high)
Hand / Teeth washing = 10L (tap running)
Kettle / Cooking = 2L
TOTAL = 232L

Multiply by "teenager factor" of 1.5 (one teenager for half the year) makes 348L per day.

Garden and everything else: very little use, what I use can probably be included in the excessive washing machine calculation above

I'm quite shocked actually. But relieved that my bills are correct (they show a usage of approx 350L per day)

1. Get a new washing machine which claims to be energy efficient and only put it on when it's full. They use less water and electricity though the cycle takes longer.

2. Turn of the tap when you are cleaning your teeth - if you are having trouble fill a glass with cold water and use it when cleaning your teeth.

[Platypus]

1. Get a new washing machine which claims to be energy efficient and only put it on when it's full. They use less water and electricity though the cycle takes longer.

Mine uses 59 litres per wash.

just looked on Bosch website, found one using 48 litres (basic model) and a super-duper one that uses 39 litres. So for 4 washes per week (quite high) I could save 80 litres a week = 4160 litres per year = 4 cubic metres

at a cost of approx £3 per cubic metre (supply and sewerage) I'd save only £12 !

Can this be right? Seems a tiny saving

[kingcook]

I have a water meter in my flat. After reading through all of the literature I got sent, it's about 3p for 10 litres of water used (this includes sewage charge), and standing charge is about £9 per month, iirc.

Having a meter definately makes you think about using water wisely. I only flush every 3 or 4 visits to the toilet (assumes #1, it's every flush for a #2+). I drink the dish washing water after it's been used a few times, and the laundry gets washed every few months.

I hammer the water back at my main house though (no meter). We drink the stuff like fish.

[BigRed]

I don't know what they base it on, but my unmetered bill is around £300pa.

[ctdctd]

Single miserable git here in Affinity Central region.

I use about 35 cubic meters per year except when I'm working away from home M-F - then it falls to about 26 cubic meters.

Current bill is running at about £125 per year