Water bills again!!

[widge]

Annual costs since 2004 - As you can see they fluctuate a lot !

WATER €'s

04/05. 2467
05/06. 3031
06/07. 358
07/08. 709
08/09. 3902
09/10. 3210
10/11. 3462
11/12. 1401
12/13. 1912

How many people occupy your house Widge, and is it permanent? I presume that you have a pool as well?

House is as permanent as the Portuguese builder could make it ! House sleeps 8 plus a 2 bed apartment that we keep for ourselves.Pool & irrigation for 2000 sq mtre plot including lawns are the main culprits.

Villa is empty for 20 weeks a year normally over winter.

[James Faro]

Annual costs since 2004 - As you can see they fluctuate a lot !

WATER €'s

04/05. 2467
05/06. 3031
06/07. 358
07/08. 709
08/09. 3902
09/10. 3210
10/11. 3462
11/12. 1401
12/13. 1912

From 709 to 3902 between 08 to 09! Over 450% increase? Either you were having 24/7 parties or the local water supplier claims your meter was faulty and/or your water mains were connected to your nearest neighbour.

What on earth!

[widge]

It's a lottery & very unpredictable. I have no idea what the clients get up to when we're not around but my sense is that most are responsible & caring types who look after the place & don't abuse the power & water supplies. Dodgy meters, irregular readings, and the change in IVA all contribute. Also the switch to mains drainage 2 years ago when we received a backdated credit for all the waste water charges they had levied even though we had our own Fossa & were not connected to the sewage pipe.

[Michael Crane]

Correct Michael. Thank you for your concern !

Sounds like you've got a cracking water metre there. At monthly rates like that you could make a tidy sum renting it out.

[sam]

I recently posted that we had lost a lot of water from our pool. It was refilled and has not happened again so we do not have a leak and do not know where/why the water went.
Our water bills are usually only a few euros. As we had refilled the pool and been pressure washing the external walls I was expecting a large bill. Just had payment taken by direct debit only 50 euros. Don't know when reading was taken, but assume it was after the refill at end of June.

[widge]

I recently posted that we had lost a lot of water from our pool. It was refilled and has not happened again so we do not have a leak and do not know where/why the water went.
Our water bills are usually only a few euros. As we had refilled the pool and been pressure washing the external walls I was expecting a large bill. Just had payment taken by direct debit only 50 euros. Don't know when reading was taken, but assume it was after the refill at end of June.

Have you nicked my meter ????

[LICY]

Now we are on residential waited our bills are abroad deal more. The last two were € 80 odd and about € 120, whereas they used to be about €20.

[widge]

Now we are on residential waited our bills are abroad deal more. The last two were € 80 odd and about € 120, whereas they used to be about €20.

That's because Casa Tranquila is in Portugal Licy. See you soon !

[LICY]

Now we are on residential waited our bills are abroad deal more. The last two were € 80 odd and about € 120, whereas they used to be about €20.

That's because Casa Tranquila is in Portugal Licy. See you soon !

Oh dear here I go again. IPad and eye problems. Water not waited and a great deal not abroad. Yes you are off any day now. Lots of love to you both, love to meet up sometime Sat.12th to Tuesday 15th as no visitors then.

[Aldo]

I think our villa managers were not on the ball! We were under impression monthly readings were being submitted however further investigations do not confirm that. He ho.

[Bruce Wallis]

I spoke to the water company in Lagoa.
They said they read the water meter alternate months, and estimate the odd months.

The greater worries are the electricity bills, which are regularly, and deliberately over estimated. Especially if the meter isnt accessible from the street.

My impression is that management companies only chase these up if a horror bill comes in!

[joeysoap]

I spoke to the water company in Lagoa.
They said they read the water meter alternate months, and estimate the odd months.

The greater worries are the electricity bills, which are regularly, and deliberately over estimated. Especially if the meter isnt accessible from the street.

My impression is that management companies only chase these up if a horror bill comes in!

Thanks for info on Lagoa water bills. Good to know.

Our electricity meter is accessible from the street, but they only read it once a year (or so they informed me) Actually 'suggested' that I should read it and email them the readings in April so they can issue an 'accurate' yearly statement in May. I signed up for equal monthly payments and they send 1 invoice a year. After they issue the yearly statement, they issue another document with next years dates and payments on it (assume it's based on latest yearly balancing statement)and you can amend the amount if you wish.

Afaik there are now a number of electricity suppliers in Portugal. I stuck with EDP when 'changing' over earlier this year. Devil you know and all that.

[widge]

Mystery of the water bill explained. It would appear that my meter broke last March but the water company didn't realise until May when they read the meter for a second time to discover that the meter hadn't moved. So, new meter installed in May and read in July having used 80 units of water they raise a bill for €260 which I pay. As I write the meter reads 420 another 340 units consumed between July & September not too bad considering we had no rain between April & September !

I think the meter breaking has saved me a couple of months water consumption, what I don't know is if the old meter was faulty & overcharging me for 8 years? I never will but the moral of the story is that water meters do break & can be faulty so take your readings !!

[LICY]

You may save on irrigation this week, what's with the weather from 27 September?

[widge]

Irrigation OFF. Wet & windy here & looks set til next Thursday - then back to summer !