Can anyone explain to me a bit about calculation of water bill?
This is the first time I need to pay water bill myself so I am a little confused about it.

I just move in a new flat but have already received a water bill wrongly addressed but attention to me. The bill is almost 200 quid for the period from Aug 05 - Mar 06. But I dont think I am not liable to pay the bill for the period I havent lived here. There seems no water meter in my flat.

Thanks for help!

depending on the type of property u have & location etc is how they work out ur bill , if u think u have an incorrect bill there will be a contact number on the form somewhere , ring them & tell them the exact date u were responsible for the premises etc . also if the premium is too high for ur current finances u can get a monthly pay book , this comes at no extra cost it is just the main bill split down into affordable monthly sumd THERE IS NO EXTRA COST ASSOCIATED BY PAYING THIS WAY , i know cos i have the same

The water bill is is worked out on the old ratable value of the property (pre council tax days) and you multiply by the pence for water and again for waste/sewage charge plus a standing charge.You have the option of paying monthly.
So as an example if the flat had a rateable value of £161

161 x 76.6p= £123.33(Water supply)
161 x 82.1p = £132.18 (Sewerage)
£25.50water s/c plus £26.60surface drainage &
£1.05 sewerage s/c
Making a total of £308.66

I found this was getting to high so applied for a meter however when fitter came there was not enough space between incoming water pipe and stop tap to fit one.However YW have offered an assessed meter charge for those properties which cannot be physically metered.It works out a lot cheaper for me so i am happy!

Originally posted by silverknight
The water bill is is worked out on the old ratable value of the property (pre council tax days) and you multiply by the pence for water and again for waste/sewage charge plus a standing charge.You have the option of paying monthly.
So as an example if the flat had a rateable value of £161

161 x 76.6p= £123.33(Water supply)
161 x 82.1p = £132.18 (Sewerage)
£25.50water s/c plus £26.60surface drainage &
£1.05 sewerage s/c
Making a total of £308.66

I found this was getting to high so applied for a meter however when fitter came there was not enough space between incoming water pipe and stop tap to fit one.However YW have offered an assessed meter charge for those properties which cannot be physically metered.It works out a lot cheaper for me so i am happy!

This is the calculation you should use, but do note water charges are payable in advance not arrears. So even if we are not up to March 2006 you are still required to pay. If you go for a water meter then the standing charge is paid in advance but the actual water charges are in arrears.

Hi, thanks all and silverknight. Your explanation is very clear and I will see if my landlord is OK to apply for a meter. I think its really too high for me, as a student, to pay over 300 quid for water bill.

Will YW charge any about application for meter?

No charge is made for fitting water meter.Your landlord will have to agree. You can then apply on line or phone YW who give you a ref number. Then its passed on in the system ( a wait of around 6 weeks in my case) about a week before a YW agent will ring with a view to visit your flat at an agreed time/date. If the survey prove OK its fitted at that time.If Not YW will then send a letter with revised billing arrangements.By the way you will have to pay the current rateable value rate until survey done.So i would request a monthly DD for now.
Details about meters is available on YW website.

Yeh, go for the meter. I paid £30 a month when i started renting, then persuaded the landlord to let me fit a meter. Bills went down to £8 a month

Our water bill is about £20 a month, payable for 10 months. Split between the people in the house it works out at only £4.04 a month each - and it doesn't matter if our tap leaks as it's all paid for :)

Getting a water meter fitted is only going to actually save you money if you are using substantially less water than the average expected for the size of property.

For example, my grandmother owns a big detached house and lives in the downstairs only. She has a shower fitted downstairs but no bath, and as a single occupant she uses very little water. Because of this, having a water meter fitted has saved her almost 50% on her annual water bill.

However, my house is of very low rateable value and the potential savings of not using any water at all amount to about £20 annually. Since I do plan on taking a shower occasionally(!) I can't see much point in going to all of the effort of getting a water meter fitted.

I've checked all of the figures with a relative who works for Yorkshire Water, and although saving money is one of my hobbies, I've decided that it just isn't worth it.