Get yourself on a water meter
Unless you use a hose to water your garden and wash the car every week then you'll save money than if you pay the fixed rate.
Even with 5 people in our household it was cheaper
(wehttamman via B3ta for microwave, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 6:19, 7 replies)

Only in Australia.

(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 7:29, closed)

And England

(wehttamman via B3ta for microwave, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 7:30, closed)

Considering your "rainy days" compared to ours.
I think we win on the" how we need to save water" situation.
EDIT: Anywhere in the UK in drought?
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 7:53, closed)

Well, just starting into winter here
So AFAIK we're good for the moment; but I'll hunt you out a link with some stats ASAP*.

Checking the site you linked, it certainly looks like you've had a long run of drier than typical weather. Is that why the dam system hasn't actually been close to fully filled since before 2004; or it typical utility gambling, risking meeting your needs for their profit?**

You having designated "watering days" are a new concept to me. Is that a temporary, seasonal, or permanent measure?

* (Edit: www.unitedutilities.com/Keepingthewaterflowing.aspx shows regional storage generally above average, but of course these are not directly comparable. )

** I know they can't be all full all the time, they have to be run down for servicing and so on; but a peak of 54% system capacity seems disturbingly low, given the bottom 17.5% isn't really available. (Edit x2: just checked www.watercorporation.com.au/D/dams_streamflow.cfm - wow, you've been getting drier for decades; now that's disturbing.)
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 8:51, closed)

Always, except winter (during the rain) when we have a complete sprinkler ban.

(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 10:22, closed)

Our water company
wrote to say they were putting a meter in, then they wrote again and said it wasn't worth the bother.
(username failed moderation, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 8:51, closed)

Very much this.
If you don't have a meter, you're charged according to an estimate based on the size of a house. I live alone in a house that could easily take a family of four; and, unsurprisingly, my estimated water bill with a meter is several hundred pounds less than my estimated bill without one.

The meter is getting installed in the next couple of weeks.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 15 Nov 2011, 13:57, closed)