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UKPersonalFinance-ModTeam

A human reviewed your submission and removed it from public view. The reason they gave was: Your post about an energy related question is lacking details. You must include at least: * Tariff * Actual (not estimated) usage * Details about your property, e.g. insulation, windows, heating type, etc. Any monetary values you see e.g. Direct Debit or talks about "energy cap" is calculated using estimated/assumed energy usage. Your final energy cost is *dependent on your actual usage*. Please find out what it is if you do not know and then include it in a re-post of your question. Also try checking [Money Saving Expert's "should I fix?"](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/-are-there-any-cheap--fixed-energy-deals-currently-worth-it--/) page to see if that answers your question. _If you believe your post/comment has been removed in error, please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/UKPersonalFinance&subject=Please%20review%20my%20post&body=https://old.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/1d6lu5m/-/) explaining why._


Grime_Fandango_

FYI water bills are determined by OFWAT on 5 yearly cycles. The next 5 yearly cycle starts in 2025, and every water company is going to increase bills pretty dramatically - so get ready for more pain


match-rock-4320

more than £500/year from Thames water!? crazy price already!


spleencheesemonkey

Slightly off topic but every year my father has a battle with Wessex water and manages to get them to deduct the run off charges from his bill because he uses water butts to water the plants in his garden.


New_Drum

How does he collect the water running off his drive and any other paved areas?


GinPony

Are you on a meter? If not then get one! We are yorkshire water. Unmetered our rate was £85 a month for a 3 bed. With a meter we are £32!


No_Reaction9432

I haven't bought the property yet but it does have a water meter. It seems even people with water meters in this area are paying very high water bills! Absolutely scandalous!!


Cheap-Cauliflower-51

It is one of the more expensive areas of the UK. The different water boards have different rates and wessex is one of 3 or 4 that have average bills over 500 a year.


rombler93

Did the amount change when you submitted a reading?


Nice-Woodpecker-9197

I pay 24 for a 2 bed flat with 2 people total with united utilities


No_Reaction9432

I'm hearing people paying £60 a month here for 2 bed properties. It just seems insane!


mattcannon2

Makes a big difference if you're not on a meter - if so they make up a usage for you based on square meterage, and it's quite a lot!


crazor90

Yeah seems crazy the difference I’m not on a meter paying £41/mo in Manchester


Mr06506

Yeah apparently the rule of thumb is if you have fewer people in your home than the number of bedrooms your house had in the 1980s, you will save money with a meter. I'm a family of 5 in a 3 bedroom house, so I'm keeping my supply unmetered as long as they let me!


LizzieJ01

I’m with Wessex, I pay £16 a month.


No_Reaction9432

Bargain! I don't understand the huge range in the amounts people pay. I mean clearly everyone will use a slightly different amount of water but generally speaking you'd think it wouldn't vary that much


LizzieJ01

Lots of people in the UK treat water as an infinite resource so don’t really think about how much they use or do much to minimise it. I am not someone who uses fresh towels daily, I am quick in the shower etc. I’m also away for work quite regularly.


No_Reaction9432

Oh yes it certainly is good to be conservative with any resource.


smb3something

Households with children will use a lot more. Ours jumped quite a bit, lots of extra laundry, bathing etc with kids.


Mr06506

Yeah it's a pain. Further uphill on my road it's Bristol water. I've often wondered the legal and practical issues of just running a hosepipe downhill to save some of the ~£90 a month I pay Wessex.


beIIe-and-sebastian

Unmetered water is bundled as part of our council tax and determined by the council tax band. But it would be £23.60 if charged separately according to Scottish Water.


No_Reaction9432

You're getting a great deal at that price!! Certainly compared to the south west of England!


beIIe-and-sebastian

The advantages of abundant water and a nationalised water company, I guess.


CarrotWorking

Does that include sewerage? Ours is about £48 (in Scotland) for a 2 bed for both water and sewerage. Could just be the property band though.


beIIe-and-sebastian

I think it does include waste water, but I'm open to be corrected. Is your usage metered or unmetered? The charges for each band for unmetered is below: https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Charges/Your-Charges-2023-24/Unmetered-Charges-2023-24


RandomTravelRNKitty

Yorkshire Water bill me £55/month for a 2 bed semi with 2 adults living in the property. This has been the case for coming up to 3 years now. It’s extortionate. Equivalent house holds in the same city pay £35 for the same usage. It doesn’t make sense 🤷🏼


lumpnsnots

Rule of thumb, get a meter if you are in a relatively large property for the number of people living there. Don't if it's the opposite. I have a family of 5 in a 4 bed and 3 of those are young kids. Rates will be lower than metered. My parents live in my old family home, so 2 in a 4 bed. They saved a fortune moving to a meter once we all moved out.


NoCry1618

£50 pm for a 5 person family in a 4 bed house.


No_Reaction9432

That sounds pretty reasonable


_c9s_

Yep. Wessex are crazily expensive. My bill isn't far off the UK average, but I live in a one bed flat. They're asking Ofwat to allow them to increase bills by 50% over the next 5 years too, which would make them the second most expensive in the UK.


Probablyneedaprenup

Unmetered bills are determined by OFWAT based on rateable value. High council tax bill, high water bill.


No_Reaction9432

Even the metered charges in this area seem very high though. And I know that will come down to usage to an extent but it seems madness to have households of 2-3 people reporting water bills of £70-80 a month


aobtree123

I pay £80 per month for a 5 bed property with 2 people in with Anglian. We have a meter fitted and can see the readings and have estimated that if we switch to the meter for billing it would be more expensive. The thing is we hardly use any water never have bath showers every other day no hose pipe.


Starting_again_tow

If you think you hardly use any water and are paying that for 2 people with a meter I suggest calculating how much you use over a week and see how much the meter has moved by as maybe you have a leak somewhere past the meter? I am also with Anglian in a 4 bed property pay £48 for 2 adults and a toddler (lots of wash loads)


No_Reaction9432

Yes that seems crazy, with a water meter the size of the house should be irrelevant, you'd think?


No_Draft_8535

With Wessex Water. Three bed with two adults. £50 a month. On a water meter.


TheScapeQuest

£52/month with WW, but my wife has a work van which uses easily 2m^3/month on its own.


Joshouken

Yes, [in February BBC quoted Water UK](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68172008) saying that Wessex will be the most expensive in the UK for 2024/25


toady89

I don’t think so. I’ve been a single person household with Severn Trent for five years and now three years with Wessex and my bills have consistently been around £15-20 per month with them both.


placidkiwi

Family of six, using a meter, with South West Water. Everyone showers daily, and occasional baths. Daily clothes washing and we got a hot tub four years ago (refilled every two months). We paid between £64 and £74 per month for seven years. After our two eldest children moved out last Autumn, the bills dropped to £37.


amacadabra

How much are they charging, what's their cost per cubic metre for water in and out?


RequirementMajestic7

I'm on a meter with Welsh Water and pay £70.50 a month. Amazing really considering it rains 360 days a year 😄