My water bill doubled when my partner moved in: Can I have my meter removed to save money?

I got a water meter fitted when I was single and lived alone, as I understood this was a good way to keep bills down for someone with low usage. 

My bills were about £30 per month. But now my partner has moved in, they have risen to £56 per month.

That seems excessive to me. Would one extra person having a shower and flushing the toilet really make that much of a difference?

The amount of times I run the washing machine and dishwasher has only gone up slightly and definitely hasn’t doubled. We’re quite careful with water and have butts in the garden.

Is there anything I can do? Can I get the water meter taken away and go back to a standard tariff? Would that be cheaper with two people? 

Money down the drain: Having a water meter made sense when our reader lived alone – but now her partner has moved in, costs are rising. Can she go back to a non-metered tariff?

Harvey Dorset of This is Money replies: Moving in with a partner can cut down household costs in a number of ways.

Energy bills are unlikely to increase substantially, for example, while sharing the cost of rent or a mortgage can be a game changer.

However, this is not so when it comes to water costs. In the UK, water bills are calculated based either on a fixed rate, or by the actual amount of water used, as measured by a water meter.

Average water bills are set to rise to £473, or £27 per year, from April.

If you don’t use much water, then a water meter has its benefits. They can save money for people living alone, as their usage will probably be below the averages used to calculate non-metered bills.

These bills are based on a property’s ‘rateable value,’ which means that homes where there are fewer people than the number of bedrooms usually tend to save with a meter.

The disadvantage of a meter, as you have found, is that the cost will vary on based on your usage – meaning that new water-using appliances or people living with you could drive up the price.

> Read more: Should my water bill double if I pay monthly rather than twice a year?

Steep rise: The typical water bill is going up £27 this year to £473, having risen since 2020/21

For those who are on a low income, every water provider offers a ‘WaterSure’ tariff which caps the metered bill to the average household bill for your area.

This tariff is on offer for low earners with three or more children living with them, or if they suffer from a medical condition that involves using large volumes of water.

Unfortunately, in your case it seems that looking to cut your water consumption may be the only real solution to your higher bill.

I asked two water experts for their advice on what you can do to deal with your water bill.

Andy White recommends checking for leaks which can increase your water bill

Andy White, senior leader for social policy at the Consumer Council for Water, said: Most of the water we use in our homes is for showering, bathing and flushing the toilet. So an extra person in the house will see the amount of water used increase considerably.

The rise you’re seeing doesn’t look too far out of step with what we might expect to see.

Other factors could also be contributing to the increased monthly payments. Water charges have been rising in recent years as they are linked to inflation, so depending on when your partner moved in that may also be a factor.

Another possibility is that estimated readings prior to your partner moving in could have led to a balance on the account which was not being covered by the £30 a month payment.

Once an actual reading is taken, future monthly payments would need to include an element to catch-up on this deficit.

If you speak to your water company, or our team at CCW, they will be able to explore your account details more fully to find out precisely what has caused the change.

In the meantime, you can check roughly what you should expect to be paying on a meter by using our water meter calculator.

Entering a few details about your water use will quickly give an estimate of what we would expect you to pay based on your water company’s tariffs. It is also a really useful tool for those trying to identify if they might be better off switching to a meter.

Can I get rid of my water meter? 

The only circumstances in which you would be able to move away from paying metered bills is if you opted to have the meter installed and you did so in the last 2 years.

Unless you live in a region where metering is now compulsory, water companies will allow those who opted to switch to a meter up to two years to revert back to unmetered charges if they’re unhappy.

If you still think your usage is high then it is worth checking for problems such as a leak or a leaky loo. Water constantly running down the side of the toilet is a tell-tale sign.

Take a reading from the meter before you leave the house empty for the day with all the water-using appliances switched off.

Then take another reading when you get home. If the numbers have increased it suggests there may be some form of leak.

Ben Brading warns that toilets and showers contribute the most to higher water usage

Ben Brading, managing director of utility bill comparison service AquaSwitch, said: Unfortunately, your increase in water bills is what you would expect following your partner moving in.

For homes fitted with a water meter, your local water company is able to measure how much water your home uses and the majority of your bill is a volumetric charge calculated from this figure.

The increase in your monthly costs suggests that your water consumption has risen significantly.

However, this is to be expected with the occupancy of your property doubling from one person to two.

The largest impact of your partner moving in stems from the increased use of toilets and showers, which together account for the majority of water consumption in a typical home.

Modern dishwashers and washing machines are actually quite efficient, contributing only 10 per cent to average domestic water usage.

Water meters are installed in areas of the country where water scarcity is a concern, as they encourage efficient use of water, so your water company would likely deny a request to have your meter removed.

Therefore, our best advice is to try to reduce water consumption.

Here are three tips that represent the best opportunities to do so:

• If possible, opt for showers instead of baths, and limit the amount of time you spend showering.

• Turn off the tap while you and your partner clean your teeth.

• If you have an older-style toilet, use a water-saving device in your cistern.

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