Check why my water bill is high
In this article
Have you received a bill that is higher than normal?
There are many factors that can influence the size of your water bill. If your bill seems higher than normal – or you'd like it to be lower – below are some things to consider.
Check your meter reading
We visit your property every 2 months to read your meter.
Sometimes, we can make a mistake when taking a reading, or we may have estimated your water use if we weren’t able to access your meter.
Follow these steps to double check your meter reading:
1. Find the ‘Meter read details’ section on the back of your bill and look at the number given for ‘This read’.
2. If your water usage has been estimated, it’ll say ‘estimated’ next to the current reading. Learn more about estimated meter reads.
3. Next, compare these numbers to the black and white numbers on your meter. If you’re not sure where your meter is located, you can use our search tool to find it.
4. If the reading shown on your bill is significantly different to the reading you’ve taken from your meter, please contact us or call us on 13 13 85.
If the numbers are close, and your water use is still high, here’s what else we recommend looking into.
Check for leaks
Leaks are the most common reason for a high bill. A constant trickle in your toilet bowl, a dripping tap or a leak in your irrigation system can be wasteful and costly.
Use our leak detection tool to find potential leaks in your home or garden.
Leaks are the responsibility of the property owner to repair. In some instances, we'll refund a portion of your water use charges with a leak allowance.
Check your historical water usage
Look at the ‘Daily water use comparison’ graph on the front of your bill.
This shows you how much water you used this bill compared to the same bill last year, which could reveal a trend in your water usage over the hotter and colder months of the year.
If you’re registered for an online account, you can log in to compare your previous bills and water usage.
If you have a smart meter, you can also check your hourly water use to spot a potential leak.
If you’ve checked all of the above and your bill is still higher than normal, it could be due to increased water use.
Here are some further checks and resources for homeowners, businesses and tenants.
Tips for homeowners
Check your water pricing tier
Residential water use charges are based on a tiered pricing system. The more water you use, the higher the price per kilolitre.
If your bill is higher than normal, you may have moved into the next water use pricing tier.
You can check which tier you are in on the front of your bill under ‘Water use pricing’.
Learn more about how residential water use charges are calculated.
Common reasons for increased household water use
A sudden increase in water use could be due to some recent changes in your home or garden, such as:
- guests staying at your home
- putting in a new garden or pool
- increased usage of your sprinklers and evaporative air-conditioning during the warmer months.
Learn more about the most common causes of high water use in your home.
Tips for businesses
Have you been busier than normal?
Sometimes, a business can go through operational changes that can lead to higher water use.
Here are some things that can lead to higher water use when your business is expanding or experiencing a busy period:
- more patrons or customers than usual
- installation of additional appliances or equipment that use more water
- new lawn or plants that require increased watering
- changes in your processes or business activity
- seasonal changes to your irrigation settings
- an increase in staff numbers
- auto top-up valves for water storage, air cons and pools.
To compare your business water use to similar businesses, follow our benchmarking guide for businesses.
Monitor and optimise your water usage
While there are many possible explanations for high water use, we encourage you to investigate the exact cause and keep track of your water usage.
This way, you can make the necessary changes to prevent high water bills in the future.
We have several resources to help you save water, including:
- a guide on how to prevent leaks
- waterwise advice for businesses
- a downloadable water management plan to assist you with your business’s water use and find ways to reduce consumption.
If you’d like to monitor your water usage more closely and reduce costs, we recommend investing in a smart meter.
Aside from tracking your water use, smart meters can also detect leaks and abnormal water use – helping you save water and prevent potential property or equipment damage.
Information for tenants
If you don’t receive your water bill directly from us but would like to start tracking your water use, please visit tenant billing to find out how to arrange this.
Once you start receiving your bills, you’ll be able to see your meter readings, average daily water usage and register for an online account.
Find more tips on how you can save water in your home and garden.
Think you might have a leak?
Make sure you let the property manager or owner know that you have a leak at the property.
Generally, tenants are not liable for issues or consequential damages caused by hidden leaks. However, if the leak is obvious, you may be liable for the cost of water lost.
Who is responsible for costs will ultimately depend upon what was agreed on between yourself and the owner before you moved into the property.
For more information regarding who is responsible for maintenance and repair issues, head to Commerce WA.
Still can’t find the reason for your higher bills?
Have you tried all the above and still can’t figure out why your water use has increased? Contact us so that we can help you investigate further.