022BWN0144 Helping you to understand your water use wessewater.co.uk
Your water use Step 1 work out how much water you use If you live in a metered property, your water bill is based on the amount of water you use. Your bill is based on cubic metres of water supplied: 1 cubic metre equals 1,000 litres (approimately 220 gallons). Our customers use on average 140 litres of water a day. If you re using more water than you had epected, this could be due to a number of reasons. Water use is affected by: the number of people in your house how often you use your appliances the condition of your internal pipework and appliances. This leaflet will help you to understand more about your water use. To work out your daily water use, fill in the table opposite or do it online at www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk/ water-calculator When completing the table, remember: different appliances use different amounts we ve used average figures in the table try not to underestimate how many times you use each appliance and for how long consider everyone in your home think if your circumstances will change, eg, are you planning a family or is someone moving away? Hosepipe use is affected by: garden watering during the year washing cars jet washing patios or slabs. Once you have filled in the table, you can compare what has been recorded on your meter during this billing period with what you had epected to use. House Dishwasher* Normal Water efficient Washing machine* Old (pre 2000) New Water efficient Bath* Bath Shower Normal shower Power shower Eco shower Toilet Standard flush Dual flush Miscellaneous Cooking, cleaning, drinking, washing up and personal hygiene (not bathing or showering) Average use in litres How often a day? Daily total in litres 18 12 70 55 31 80 45 80 32 7.7 5 (on average) 50 litres per person daily Average use in litres No of people Total Did you know that washing your car can use anywhere between 100 and 300 litres?* *www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk Garden/outdoor use Watering can Hosepipe * If you do not use daily, add up the number of times you use it in a week and divide by seven to get a daily average. Assumes a five-minute shower based on average flow rates. Average use in litres (estimated) 9 litres per can 9 litres per minute No times/yr Total household daily water use Convert your daily water use (litres) into annual use (m 3 ) Estimated annual water use Total (divide total by 365 for daily use) 365 1,000 litres m 3 1
Step 2 - causes of high water use If the use shown on your bill is higher than you had epected, this could be due to a number of factors: Turning the tap off while cleaning your teeth could save you up to 18 litres a day The high use of water appliances, eg, a power shower uses 80 litres of water per use compared to 45 litres for a normal shower. A hose or sprinkler can use significant amounts of water. Dripping taps, showers and toilets can waste over 200 litres of water a day. Problems with internal plumbing, appliances and overflows can use a lot of water. Most new toilet cisterns have an internal overflow down the back of the pan so water loss is not always obvious. A change in circumstances, eg, an increase in family size or visitors staying. Topping up swimming pools and ponds. A faulty or incorrectly set water softener if faulty they can run to waste almost continuously without being noticed. A previous estimated bill. If none of the above is causing your water use to be higher than you epected, you may have a leak on your service pipe. 2 3
Step 3 - look out for leaks It is important to rule out any other reasons why your water use might have increased before you check for a leak. To check for a leak, start by locating your stop tap. Locate your stop tap If you think you have a leak, you will need to find your internal stop tap and check to see if it shuts off the water to all your property. The internal stop tap is often located under the kitchen sink or in a connecting garage. If the stop tap isn t working, call a plumber. To find your nearest one, visit www.watersafe.org.uk or call 0333 207 9030 (Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm; Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm). Check your meter Once you have turned off your internal stop tap, turn on your kitchen tap to check that no water comes out you may need to let it run for a few minutes. Now you can check the meter. Your meter will be located close to the boundary of your property - normally in the front garden or pavement. For help locating your meter, visit wessewater.co.uk/metering If the meter dial has stopped turning, you may have a leak inside your property. This is your responsibility and you ll need to contact a plumber. If the meter is still turning when the internal stop tap is off, it is likely that you have a leak on your private supply pipe and you should call us. If you have any questions, please call us on 0345 600 4 600 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm; emergencies at other times). At wessewater.co.uk/leaks you can find lots of advice including frequently asked questions and there s help from our web chat team. Visit the Wesse Water channel on YouTube to watch a video on locating leaks in your home. Water meters are reliable and tested before leaving the factory. Faults are rare but if one does occur it is likely to cause the meter to slow down and it may even stop recording water use. Your pipework The pipework between our service pipe and your property is your private supply pipe (shown as orange in the diagram). This is your responsibility even if you do not own the land the pipe runs through. The pipework and plumbing inside your home, including appliances, is also your responsibility. We ll help you look after your private supply pipe up to the outside wall Water main of your house. If you think you have a leak inside your home, on your plumbing or appliances, you will need to contact a plumber or your landlord. Unfortunately we can t do this for you. Don t worry if you have a leak on your service pipe and it has affected your bill generally you won t pay more. Normally we give a full allowance for water and sewerage charges. In most cases we can fi a leak on your private supply pipe free of charge. We will usually do this within 10 working days. Street boundary Eternal stop tap Service pipe Leak allowances and free repair service Internal stop tap Private supply pipe You can find out more about leak allowances and our free repair service at wessewater.co.uk/leaks Alternatively you can call us on 0345 600 3 600 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm; emergencies at other times). 4 5
Step 4 - save every drop Making small changes to how you use water in your home can help reduce your water use, save you money and help your local environment. Try using these three easy tips to help you save water where you use it most the bathroom. Brushing teeth Do you leave the tap running when brushing your teeth, washing or shaving? Turning it off could save you up to 18 litres a day. Having a shower How long do you spend in the shower? Try taking the 4-minute shower challenge. Every minute less you spend in the shower could save you 10 litres. Using the toilet Could you flush the toilet once a day less than you currently do? Each flush uses an average of 7 litres of water. Following these simple tips could save you up to 13,000 litres of water a year. You could make even further savings by fiing leaking taps, showers and toilets, which can waste over 200 litres of water a day! 6487 Designed by Wesse Water design services February 2018 Printed on recycled paper FREE devices to help you save For more advice and to order FREE water saving devices for your home, visit our website wessewater.co.uk/savingwater Wesse Water, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7WW