Moving into a new property - compulsory water meter being installed

freesha

Never fails to amaze me how people are fine about paying for what gas, electric they use... but not water. I appreciate that some do have the luxury of being unmetered, but eventually we all will be metered. Guaranteed.

Cardew

Holophyte wrote: »

Thirdly Cardew, depends on where you live and what water company supplies your water...So tell me this, why is your water company allowed to charge you £1,400 p.a RV, and my water company is allowed to charge me £320 p.a RV? I think ofwat need to sit down and work out why someone one down south or on the east coast, should be charged more, then someone in the NW...As far as I'm concerned, the UK is all one, same water, same conditions.

Because that is what the Government laid down in the Water Privatisation Act - they decreed how charges would be apportioned; using the existing RV or a meter.

Successive Governments have carried on with these regulations and these are enforced by their Regulator(ofwat). In short the water companies do not have the discretion to change the structure of charging; and if they did it would just be a case of 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul' and there would be howls of protest from the Peters(like yourself currently)

The only fair way is to make metering compulsory, but then we would have the same howls of protest by large families in houses with a low RV who might see their water charges increase five fold.

You correctly have defined some of the problems with water charges in UK - that is the easy part. Now devise a solution and sell it to the Government!!!

ERICS_MUM

freesha wrote: »

Water metre? Is that the same as a water meter?

It's the 21st century version of a yard of ale. :beer:

Holophyte

freesha wrote: »

Water metre? Is that the same as a water meter?

HAHA yes same as a water meter...

We onto Grammar lessons now?

Metre for a unit of distance (centimetre, kilometre, etc...), and meter for a device that measures (amp meter, voltmeter, water meter, etc..

My apologies

Holophyte

Cardew wrote: »

Because that is what the Government laid down in the Water Privatisation Act - they decreed how charges would be apportioned; using the existing RV or a meter.

Successive Governments have carried on with these regulations and these are enforced by their Regulator(ofwat). In short the water companies do not have the discretion to change the structure of charging; and if they did it would just be a case of 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul' and there would be howls of protest from the Peters(like yourself currently)

The only fair way is to make metering compulsory, but then we would have the same howls of protest by large families in houses with a low RV who might see their water charges increase five fold.

You correctly have defined some of the problems with water charges in UK - that is the easy part. Now devise a solution and sell it to the Government!!!

If I could devise a solution to sell it to the Government, I wouldn't be on here complaining about the hike in prices using a meter!

All I was after was a response into how people feel about water charges, not a debate into why I'm "howling"

Holophyte

freesha wrote: »

Never fails to amaze me how people are fine about paying for what gas, electric they use... but not water. I appreciate that some do have the luxury of being unmetered, but eventually we all will be metered. Guaranteed.

I never said I was fine about paying for any, Gas and Electric but not water...At the moment, I pay £40 per month, for both Gas and Electric, and £30 per month for Water.....I'm fine with all that...My original post was regarding the hike in a water bill....Would you not complain, if let's say you bought a pair of shoes every month at £10 then all of a sudden they went up to £40? Or would you simply keep paying and do as the British always do and take it....It's bloomin water, in England it rains every other day, on a bad day I can swim in my back garden..And yet we pay over the odds for the previldge...You know what the more I type the more I get bored.

Holophyte

cajef wrote: »

Which is it, make your mind up.

Yeah sorry cajef, it was my mistake, it is 5, 2 Adults, and 3 Children...I re-read my original post and realised, I'd put 7 when it should have been 5.

Cardew

Holophyte wrote: »

If I could devise a solution to sell it to the Government, I wouldn't be on here complaining about the hike in prices using a meter!

All I was after was a response into how people feel about water charges, not a debate into why I'm "howling"

You appear to have missed the point.

Nobody is disputing the system of water charging in UK is stupid. However you have directed all your 'howls of protest' at the water companies rather than Maggie Thatcher and successive Governments who have imposed this method of charging on the water companies.

You have also wrongly asserted that metered charges only benefit single occupants.

Holophyte

Cardew wrote: »

You appear to have missed the point.

Nobody is disputing the system of water charging in UK is stupid. However you have directed all your 'howls of protest' at the water companies rather than Maggie Thatcher and successive Governments who have imposed this method of charging on the water companies.

You have also wrongly asserted that metered charges only benefit single occupants.

Point Taken Cardew...I'll zip my mouth up, and await what my actual bill will be once I have moved in....Apologies to all Water Companies, and V's to all past, present and future governments!

mysterons

I have a meter and also had one at my previous gaff. I get billed twice a year June and December. I have a very large family indeed including 4 daughters like to that take baths at least daily, in fact over a dozen people in residence. Our washer runs 24/7. We also fill a 12ft splash pool 2 or 3 times a year as well as refilling a 10 by 6 fishpond regularly. So probably use a bit more than your family of 5 yes?
My last bill was for 138 cu/mtrs and cost £179 thru Anglian Water. These were actual readings not estimates.
You will surely pay less using a meter than any sum based on your R/V. I was only speaking to one of my customers about this a few days ago, she pays based on her rateable value on a Band A property and her bills dwarf mine.