Even though I don't understand these calculations, I do think they are about right. Well for half a year on a water meter for one person at £41.48 sounds about right to me. As you can see, the bill from the previous six months was almost the same.
The vegetable garden will have to be watered and I have no collected water left because it's been so dry here. The hose pipe will be used, but sparingly.
This is the water left over from my last bath, it has flushed away the widdle in the toilet for a week, with a proper flush for solids, don't want to block it up and create more expense.
As you can see it has left a horrible scum line, and all the residue from my dead skin has sunk to the bottom, not a pretty sight. I shall be scrubbing it out shortly as it is getting difficult to scoop any more out without damaging the bottom of the bath with the saucepan. As this is a newish bath I would like it to stay that way.
The trouble with using bath water in this way is the toilet bowl starts to look manky and stained. There's nothing I hate more than lifting the lid to see a mucky pan. So a lot more scrubbing is needed, and the occassional soak with bleach. But hey ho, to save money I have to put up with the extra cleaning. 
I'm with Anglian water too and I pay my bill monthly by Direct Debit, I think you get a small discount for doing so, and I pay just £6.00 per month. Not bad when you consider how people in the West Country are paying over £1,000 per annum. I do feel sorry for them down there.
ReplyDeleteUse a plastic jug to remove water, then it won't scratch. We aren't on a water meter here.
ReplyDeleteYou do an incredible job with your water usage Ilona, 10,000 litres in 183 days, that's just over 54 litres a day. A low usage rate on this link is 45 cubic metres a year for a single person
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ccwater.org.uk/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.913
That works out at just over 123 litres a day, so you are well below low usage rates, the water company should be giving you a medal or a discount for being such a light user of water. A bit like BT did with their light user scheme for phone calls, you should get discount for being such an efficient user (or should that be saver) of water.
Would you not be able to lay your hands on a plastic jug instead of using the pan, so you wouldn't damage your bath. Cheers, Christy
I use white vinegar, not bleach- just as hygenic and a little more environment friendly!
ReplyDeleteI do what a lot of folks do, only flush when you have solid waste. The urine seems to sink (told by color difference)and I never have a smell. Here in the states the sewer charges are higher than the water charges so what goes down the drain is more expensive. Makes sense to try to have less of that. I use dishwater and water I boiled veggies in to water plants once it is cool...might be a good idea for your garden...just dump it in a bucket to keep by the door.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the Save It campaign in the 70s encouraging folk to use less electric by putting a save it stick on appliances. Everyone complied and used less and the Electric Company put the rates up because they had nt sold enough.
ReplyDeleteDo you mulch your veg - if you catch your grass clippings use them.
Ilona, if you toilet is really stained, throw some Coke or Pepsi in and let it soak. A quick clean and ...voila! Maa
ReplyDeleteWe're doing the same here in France - I'm using a soft-ish plastic jug to scoop out the water. Kids think I'm potty :) but I am NOT going to use fresh water. Our well-pump isn't working - we think it's a problem with the pipe at the bottom - my OH wants to go down there but I'm afraid he'll fall down the well or something equally as scary!
ReplyDeleteUse vinegar and salt to scrub the scummy bath and toilet. I`ve not used any harsh chemicals now for ages. Salt and vinegar is just as effective and far more environmentally friendly.
ReplyDeletevalue cola is excellent poured round toilet bowl and left, then a quick scrub after, toilet sparkles and its much cheaper than bleach
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