Mains Water Usage - What do you use?

[Ferdinand]

We have compared energy bills before. I don't think we have done water usage before.

 

These are my numbers and relevant information.

 

Usage

2nd half 2020 - 190l per day

1st half 2021 - 260l per day

 

Normal mains supply.

Water meter installed.

200sqm property occupied by one person. 

Use water butts for much gardening water, but also hose. 

Location: Midlands

 

I think that difference is mainly using the hose for watering the garden, and leaving the hose on by mistake, which suggests that a more organised tank/pumped garden system is the main opportunity for me to reduce usage, plus some sort of hose time or hose max-time-on switcher-offer.

 

[SteamyTea]

I shall try and remember to look up my figures when I finish work.

Southwest water is the most expensive in the country.

8 times the price of the City of London.

[Ferdinand]

2 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

I shall try and remember to look up my figures when I finish work.

Southwest water is the most expensive in the country.

8 times the price of the City of London.

 

Thanks.

 

I have focused on volume of mains water used not price ? .

[Gone West]

Averaged over the time we lived in our last house, just over three years, we used 306l/day. This was for two adults in a 130m2 house with some garden watering.

[LSB]

where do you get the details of usage ?

[Ferdinand]

I get it on my bill as I have a water meter.

 

It told me that my daily usage was equivalent to 1450 cups of tea, too.

 

Alternatively there's a handy-dandy calculator here, which will give an approx estimate:

https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/help-and-advice/save-water/water-usage-calculator/#

 

 

 

[SteamyTea]

184 lt/day over the last year, and there is just me.

 

I am a clean chef, not one of those grubby, unshaven ones.

Edited August 16, 2021 by SteamyTea

[SuperJohnG]

This just isn't something we have up in Scotland unless you own a farm. 

 

I am hoping for less than 200l per person per day once we are in onky because I have a low yield borehole. 

 

 

[Gone West]

It surprises me that we, on this forum, seem very conscious about energy use but less so about water use. We designed our last house to minimise energy and water useage. Aerating taps and shower heads reduce water use without any negative effects IMO. Our reasons for both low energy and water use is because of the beneficial effects on the environment of doing so.

[Ferdinand]

9 hours ago, SuperJohnG said:

This just isn't something we have up in Scotland unless you own a farm. 

 

I am hoping for less than 200l per person per day once we are in onky because I have a low yield borehole. 

 

 

 

Do new houses in Scotland have to have a meter installed?

 

Down Sooth I think Southern Water (ie Chichester etc) are moving forward with compulsory meters over a couple of decades. Another half dozen companies can do the same thing if they wish due to being areas of water stress.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-6951463/I-told-water-meter-installed-dont-want-one-compulsory.html

 

NI are embarrassed to be installing them, but have to in new properties:

https://www.niwater.com/news-detail/?News_ID=10916&FriendlyID=

 

Wales is encouraging water meters, and will install one free:

https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/my-household/water-meters

And in Scotland you have to pay them to give you one as an existing householder. The last number I saw was that water meters in the whole of Scotland were under 500, which may be out of date:

https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/en/Your-Home/Your-Charges/Water-Meters

 

Which all pretty much correlates with the inverse of quantity of perceived rain,

 

Except in NI, where they are perhaps very aware of the huge bunfight in the ROI, where water used to be free at the point of tap. No And there is now a current settlement that 'normal' water is free and billing is done for the excess aiui.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Water 

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, Gone West said:

It surprises me that we, on this forum, seem very conscious about energy use but less so about water use. We designed our last house to minimise energy and water useage. Aerating taps and shower heads reduce water use without any negative effects IMO. Our reasons for both low energy and water use is because of the beneficial effects on the environment of doing so.

 

I think that's because as a group we are well off, with bigger houses, and mainly decent gardens. 

 

To be fair, a lot of people on BH have very good "collect rainwater to use in garden" arrangements, I think.

[Ferdinand]

Incidentally I dropped  the same post over on a Gardening Forum - interesting comments.

 

https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1058489/how-much-mains-water-do-you-use/

[IanR]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

To be fair, a lot of people on BH have very good "collect rainwater to use in garden" arrangements, I think.

 

I need to move the long planned IBC array, rainwater collector up the priority list.

 

750l / day averaged over the year for 5 of us.

 

We're using over 75% more in summer than winter though - the veg patch is using more than I expected. 

[dangti6]

21 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Southwest water is the most expensive in the country.

8 times the price of the City of London.

 

Mental isn't it. 

 

The following figures are from last year and may have changed slightly, but a friend of mine in Portsmouth was paying £0.729 per cubic metre Vs £2.0058 charged by Wessex Water. I compared that to Sussex where it was about £1.50 a cube. 

 

Brings back memories of when I was scouring local authority websites comparing my annual green bin charge. Lockdown boredom has a lot to answer for ?

[LSB]

my usage seems quite low compared to some of you at 165 for 2 of us and 2 horses, maybe I should wash more ?

 

[SteamyTea]

8 hours ago, dangti6 said:

Mental isn't it. 

I was actually comparing the bills, which includes waste water, and surface run off.

it is the waste side that is so expensive.  We pay to keep the Atlantic Ocean clean and the beaches sparkling.

Then total wankers let their dogs shit on the beaches.

[SuperJohnG]

14 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

On 17/08/2021 at 00:30, SuperJohnG said:

 

 

Do new houses in Scotland have to have a meter installed?

Nope. I don't think I've ever seen a water meter for 20 years since I was helping a plumber mate at a farm. 

 

It's wet here...very wet. Albeit that's not just reason to use loads. 

[LSB]

14 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

I was actually comparing the bills, which includes waste water, and surface run off.

it is the waste side that is so expensive.  We pay to keep the Atlantic Ocean clean and the beaches sparkling.

Then total wankers let their dogs shit on the beaches.

as we have a cesspit we don't have to pay waste.

but, we do have a meter for incoming

 

And, I always clean up after my dogs, even at home and agree it is disgusting.

 

There is a beach near here that pre-covid used to be clean, but since it started I no longer go there as it's so bad

 

[oldkettle]

Our monthly average for 6 months up to April is 13250l for 4 working/studying from home, which makes it 109l/day pp. Hose used extremely rarely. 

Now, how do I fix the leaking toilet? ?

[Ferdinand]

58 minutes ago, oldkettle said:

Our monthly average for 6 months up to April is 13250l for 4 working/studying from home, which makes it 109l/day pp. Hose used extremely rarely. 

Now, how do I fix the leaking toilet? ?

 

 

[oldkettle]

1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

 

 

 

Yep, I saw this one ?didn't want to take either post off-topic. 

[MikeGrahamT21]

104L per day for just me, 62m2 living floor area.

 

According to the report for sustainability, we should be aiming for around 100L per person per day, so i'm not too far off

[SteamyTea]

On 16/08/2021 at 22:39, SteamyTea said:

184 lt/day over the last year, and there is just me.

My total area is 50m²

5 minutes ago, MikeGrahamT21 said:

104L per day for just me, 62m2 living floor area.

 

Taking a guess here, do you shower, rather than a daily bath?

[MikeGrahamT21]

1 minute ago, SteamyTea said:

My total area is 50m²

 

Taking a guess here, do you shower, rather than a daily bath?

 

Yeah shower every morning, very rarely have a bath

[SteamyTea]

Just now, MikeGrahamT21 said:

Yeah shower every morning, very rarely have a bath

So my bath is probably using an extra 90 litres a day.