To change or not too change?

debtdestroyer*

Hi guys,
just after some advice really re water meters, we are in a 5 bed house with 5 adults and 1 half adult ( and 2 dogs). Just got the water bill through yesterday and it's seems really high and was wondering whether anyone would recommend changing to a meter or not?

Has anyone got any advice for me?
( apart from getting rid of the kids and selling the house!!!!!!)

Thanks guys

skintchick

Your water company should have a section where you can work out your usage and see if it would benefit you.

Or just google 'water usage calculator' and loads come up.

If you do swap, be careful! I am with Thames Water and was in credit by £107 but it took a lot af arguing to get that refunded - they were going to keep it AND charge me a DD for the meter based on estimated usage but that meant I was 'paying' MORE than I had been on the rates!!

I had to go through the calculation with them THREE TIMES before they'd believe me and then call them another two times to get teh money refunded and the new DD set up.

So make sure you're on the ball!!

lisyloo

Hi Skintchick,

I'm just guessing really, but as there are a lot of people (and animals) in your household then you might find you are worse off on a water meter.

What are you like in your consumption?
Do you all like showers? or do you have someone that likes having baths every day?
Do you use a hosepipe on the garden or wash the car a lot?

Cardew

It is simply not possible to answer your question without knowing the Rateable Value of your house,(you can find this on your bill). What area you are in - not just the water company, but the area of that company. What type of house(det/semi/terrace) and what your consumption of water will be.

The average consumption per adult is supposed to be approx 60 cubic meters per year.

There are other factors and different companies structure their charges in different ways e.g. high standing charge and low water/sewage charges or vice versa.

Even with 5/6 people you will probably be better off with a meter if your house has a high RV, but with a low RV it might be a different story.

I suggest you look at the metered charges for your company and work on an annual consumption of 300 cubic meters and see how that compares with your current bill.

carlk73

What would you consider a high RV?

Thanks,

Carl

Cardew

carlk73 wrote:

What would you consider a high RV?

Thanks,

Carl

carlk73 wrote:

What would you consider a high RV?

Thanks,

Carl

£300-400.

There really is no 'one size fits all' answer to the question of getting a water meter. Every company has a different pricing structure and even within that company's catchment area there are different charging zones when unmetered.

For instance I am in charging zone 5 of Severn Trent. With 3 adults in my house I use about the average of 180 cubic meters a year.

As some of my surface water goes into the sewer on that useage I will pay approx £430 in 2006.

The charge for unmetered water and sewerage is £1.6979 per £ of RV. Therefore if my house had an RV of more than £253 I would be better off on a meter. RV less than £253 I would be better off unmetered.

As it happens my house had an RV of £700 so unmetered I would be paying £1,188. Thus being on a meter saves me £758 a year.

It is important to point out that you can only calculate potential savings for a particular house if you know all the figures. Even within Severn Trent charging zones the unmetered charges can vary by 25%.