Water Meters

[carni 10,094]

We are considering having a water meter. Has anyone had one and what do you think about it. Any opinions for and against would be appreciated.

[loppylugs 8,427]

No choice here, Carni.  houses come already equipped with them.  I think the main thing is it makes people more aware of how much they are using.  You don't see folks with sprinklers running in the front yard while a lot of the water runs off down the drain.  The more you use the more you pay.

[plantfit 7,580]

We got one Carni,never looked at it to be honest but a bit of common sense and not wasting it always helps, just as an aside,it was on the news this moring that some boffin has stated there may not be enough water to go round in the UK in 2025 and has asked the water companies to reduce leakage by 50% and house holders to reduce their use by 12%

 

Rog

[The Pianoman 1,532]

I was paying £33.51 per month with my old water rate. Had a water meter about 2 years ago. My meter was read last month I shall now be paying something like £14.52 per month. (can't be bothered to check). Down from something like £17.60 something or other for the previous 6 months. (can't be bothered to check exact amount).  I live on my own, no shower (I do have a bath occasionally), dishwasher, washing machine, loo and all the other stuff. I don't do anything to save water. 

[radfordred 6,284]

It depends?

Do you have anything dripping Carni?

My Aunt Louise was known locally as leaky Lou.

Like a tap!  

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Living in rural America, I'm responsible for providing my own water, in my case a 550ft deep hole with pump and control gear.

Water is crystal clear from the limestone measures that go down hundreds of feet. All the water has to permeate through 60 ft of clay before it gets to the limestone.

[Waddo 921]

I think it depends on your circumstances, when I first moved to Norfolk, anglian water sent me a card in pie chart form showing how much water you used, so many cups of coffee, shower, flushes of the toilet etc. When I worked it out, i would have paid more by having a meter. Perhaps things have changed now, but I still don't have a meter simply because i don't want to worry about things like can I afford to have a shower or wash the car.

[carni 10,094]

We have just looked at our water bill. It is paid over eight months then a break of four months payment free. Last year it was £57.85 per payment this year it was £60.43. A rise of £2.58.  What do you think....a meter or not a meter?  We are genuinely interested in your opinions.

[plantfit 7,580]

Good points Waddo, lifes full of worries,why add to them, Carni use common sense mi duck, if it's dripping get it fixed, don't leave taps running if you don't have to and most of all Enjoy life

 

Rog

[Enigma. 1,533]

things to consider regarding water meters

 

if theres more bedrooms than the people living there , if theres only 2 of you living there and you know you dont use much water - it might pay you to go on a meter , you stay on metered for a year and then if its not for you it will revert back to unmetered 

 

severn trent will take into account your council tax band and use that too , you will be billed 12 months as opposed to 8 months 

 

the easiest option for them is to fit one in the boundary box if it only supplies your property 

[Brew 5,409]

Difficult to make a decision or give advice without seeing both sides Carni. You will need the price per litre and a diary of usage for a short period.

It's a bit like voting for Brexit without knowing the full implications and what the consequences are..                

[loppylugs 8,427]

16 minutes ago, Ayupmeducks said:

Living in rural America, I'm responsible for providing my own water, in my case a 550ft deep hole with pump and control gear.

Water is crystal clear from the limestone measures that go down hundreds of feet. All the water has to permeate through 60 ft of clay before it gets to the limestone.

 Al that and no Fluoride, eh John?  You're Doing something right.

 

 

Carni.....Can't really give you accurate info from here.  It would be a bit like comparing Apples to Oranges.  we have always had a meter.

Seem to me all you can do is find the relative cost per thousand gallons without a meter versus the cost of a metered thousand gallons.  What are the suppliers basing their cost on?

[Waddo 921]

If you can give it a trial for say one year as Enigma says, then go for it Carni, what you got to lose?. But I didn't think you could do that, might be wrong, and will stand to be corrected.

[Brew 5,409]

Carni have you seen this site?   :-

 

https://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

[carni 10,094]

Thank you all so much. Chris is going to wade through all the tips. Thanks for the link Brew, Chris had a calculate to the max and the resulting estimation was £462 against £483. £21 less on the meter. Also interesting to read we could try for a year and see.

 

Once again you have all come up trumps with enthusiasm to help. Many thanks to all.

[Commo 1,292]

Inspired by your question Carni, I decided that as there is just me in the house, my bill of £770 for the next year seems excessive and rang Yorkshire Water last week who reckoned I could be paying about £400 with a meter, with two years to change my mind if it doesn't actually work out to my advantage. I requested one fixing and they are arriving on 23rd May to check if one can be fitted.

Call me cynical, but why would a privatised company suggest that I have a meter if they are losing money by installing one?

[LizzieM 9,507]

Commo, I agree with your cynicism but we’re hoping it will be a lot cheaper than our present bill, almost identical to yours.   There’s only two in this house and we’re away from home quite a lot.  

[sue B 48 1,226]

According to the calculator I would save about £130 a year, I think I'll have to look

into this. 

[plantfit 7,580]

I was always told "only dirty buggers wash" perhaps thats why  the water bill was cheaper in them days

 

Rog

[Brew 5,409]

I always washed and had the 'tide' marks to prove it!

[Beekay 5,134]

What's washing ????

[denshaw 2,871]

I have a wash every week whether I need one or not.

[Waddo 921]

Has bath hopping gone out of fashion nowadays ?

[Brew 5,409]

Save water - bathe with a friend...      

 

[LizzieM 9,507]

On 4/1/2019 at 5:44 PM, LizzieM said:

Commo, I agree with your cynicism but we’re hoping it will be a lot cheaper than our present bill, almost identical to yours.   There’s only two in this house and we’re away from home quite a lot.  

Well the man from Severn Trent arrived today and we can’t have a water meter!   Our problem is that we live in ‘leafy’ Mapperley Park, there’s a massive London Plane tree outside our gate and we don’t have a stop tap inside our property.   The chap said he is unable to dig down into the hole where the stop tap is positioned because it’s too close to the tree and its roots. .    

There may be an answer for us though .... he will present his initial survey report to Severn Trent and because it’s impossible for us to have a meter they MAY reduce our annual bill to take into consideration that there are only two of us living in the house.   He’s thinking we could get a reduction of £200-250 pa which we’d be happy with to be honest, seeing as our bill for this year is £750.   

Damn the tree!