Does anyone remember this ad from 1961?
I am seriously considering forgetting about washday despite all my previous posts about washing lines. Today we got our water bill for the next 12 months and it is a staggering 1,080GBP or 1,762USD or 1,271euros. However I say it, it sounds a lot!
Here in the South West of England we have the highest water rates in Britain. They (South West Water) blame it on the holiday makers and the beaches. I blame it on the greedy directors. I think this year we will be mostly smelling.......
Here's a possible solution for your problem.
ReplyDeleteWhen rain is forecast, quickly fill a large basin with sudsy water, squish your clothes about, wring them out over the basin letting the water drip back into the basin, hang them up on the line and let mother nature do the rinse cycle. Repeat as required using the same sudsy water.
:-)
Let me know how that works out. I may want to patent the idea.
What a great idea, e. I'll let you know how it goes. Unfortunately we are going through a dry spell so it may be a week or more before I can try it out!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a lot - we have our own well so I don't know how much it cost here, but I'm sure it's less. Maybe you should move to Sweden?
ReplyDeleteMargaretha
who now has water
but to get it back
wasn't free
Margaretha
ReplyDeleteI am happy to hear that you have solved the water problem. I hope the internet connection is fixed too. I am thinking of exploring my garden for an old well that is supposed to be there. I daresay the water company would claim it from me and charge us for using it!
Maureen
That is a crazy figure, Monix. We pay around about £300 for the year. We are on a metre, and that covers the baths every night for the children, showers for the grown-ups, constant washing cycles and watering the vegetable plot in the summer!
ReplyDeleteAsk for a metre - I think you are being robbed!
Adelephant
ReplyDeleteWe know that the rest of the country pays around one third of our bills but no-one will agree to a standard national charge to cover the extra costs of keeping the beaches clean. Unfortunately we would pay more on a water meter.
Dearest M - do, please, get a meter installed; I did and it has made a huge difference to my bills from South West Water. (Are you sure it would cost more to have metered water? I checked first - you can do an online assessment - and was given an indication of the savings. It's based on number of people, number of bedrooms, appliances etc.) And if you get one installed, you will be cushioned against the even bigger water bills that are waiting round the corner. It will be non-meter customers, apparently, who will bear the brunt. My metered water bill from SWW, just received for the last quarter, was £91 and I think our houses are a comparable size. As you know, I have all the usual appliances plus a power shower, which can be water-greedy. Yes, there's only one of me but I do have plenty of guests staying and even if you doubled that bill, it's still way below a quarter of your 12-month bill. Worth revisiting, I think!
ReplyDeleteI'm with 60 going on 16 here. It saved us £90 straight away. You are paying for more people than live in the house. If you are unsure, phone up the water company and ask them how they came up with the figure they have billed you for. They should tell you exactly what their bill is based on (e.g. 4 adults having daily showers, daily dishwasher and washing machine use, waste water disposal etc).
ReplyDeleteThe meter is always cheaper as they are not going to charge you for less than they think you might possibly use, but they will happily charge you for more.
They also have to fit the meter for free. We got ours fitted inside the house so that we could do the readings ourselves.
Well, A and D, you will both be pleased to know that I have just done the online calculation with only 2 of us now living here and we would potentially save £200. We are going to apply!
ReplyDeleteGreat news! I bet you end up saving more, too!
ReplyDelete