Water Meter £50 a month, a dam Joke

seven-day-weekend

My son lived in a flat with a water meter and he got one bill that was stupid. Can't rememeber the amount now, but my husband worked out he'd have had to be filling his flat with water every day to use that much. When he pointed this out, ST agreed it was stupid, even though all the meter readings agreed.

Left this bill to be sorted out, eventually there came an estimated bill with a sensible amount on, and all future bills were ok too.

Never did find out what went wrong.:rotfl:

Mrs_Optimist

WE currently pay £50 per month for a 3 bed terrace (Not metered). We will soon be moving to a 3 bed semi on a meter and dread to think what the costs will be for 2 adults and 2 children. South West Water have the most expensive bills in the whole country because we have to pay to keep all the beaches clean which really I think should be incorporated in the tourists holiday bill. We do conserve water as much as possible. but unfortunately we and everyone else who has posted are stuck because we all need water but are not given any choice about who supplies it and therefore the Water Companies can charge what they like (OFWAT are useless) and effectively they have been given a licence to print money for their shareholders.

wurley

My neighbour's were paying £800 per year. Turns out that the bungalow behind's supply was taken from their supply after the meter.

If you go away for a holiday take a reading before you go and see if any is used. Or take a reading before you have a day out.

grace1402

I too have found my metered water rise from £21 for last years payments to £45 per month for this year's! :eek:

We live in a 3 bed house and there are 2.5 of us. We pay by direct debit and over the past few years have been charged from £16-£24 monthly (rising steadily since the birth of our daughter in 2002!)

We are billed every 6 months (over the past 5 years averages £120 with 70 cubic meters useage) Our monthly payments usually clear our bill, often leaving us in a small credit. This is by far cheaper than the original rates bill we were presented with when we first moved onto our property 9 years ago.

I spoke with the water company today to ask why it has gone up more than double from £21 per month to £45. The response is that they want us to be in credit for our next bill! I have been given the option to either continue to pay £45 by direct debit or pay the full amount of the bill every six months! So, they are asking us to overpay so they can credit our (their) acount and are also be taking our money 'up front' for water we have not yet used! Is this normal practice, it hasn't been since we converted to a meter over 5 years ago? Hardly seems fair?:rolleyes:

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

It certainly is not normal practice.

In fact I have just got my annual assessment from Severn Trent.

Last year I paid £424 in 11 DD payments and I finished the year £1.78p in debit.

This year, notwithstanding charges are increasing, they have reduced my DD by £4.96p a month for 11 payments; so will pay £55 less. Makes absolutely no sense to me as I will finish up well in debit - but that's not a problem.

If your company insist on their stance, it is a 'no brainer'! Bank your DD payments and pay 6 monthly when a bill is sent.

marie_hc

Well, there's only two of us. We were on a meter when kids were with us, there gone now, moved into rented ready to rebuy, in the rented house bill was 450 a year, had our 1st water bill (6months) now were back on a meter we will be paying £400 a year, that's £40 per month.:eek:

That's only £5 less than the RV on the rented house (4 bed detached)

We don't even turn the tap on to wash up, we boil a full kettle and use that:rolleyes: we tested how long it took the hot water to come through and it filled the bowl just as the water was getting hot.

Not impressed, I would like to know how these families are using so little?

We don't have baths, we use a cup for cleaning teeth, and were both out of the house 5 days a week:rolleyes:

I don't think water (being a lifeline) should be measured:cool: Plus the more people who turn to a meter for slightly cheaper bills, then the water companies have less revenue coming in.

It can only end in metered water costs increasing:beer:

Logic, they will have less money to do what they must, remedy increase prices to cover there overheads.

moonrakerz

Being a bit of a cynical old b****r, I think that the water companies have been more than a bit sneaky about the way that metered prices have been applied (and increased).

A few years back when meters first started appearing, there were many stories about how much cheaper it was to be on a meter, and generally it was. Only a few cynics said, "what happens when everyone is on a meter". Now we know !

I am about to move house; my present house is unmetered, the new house was also. I had a meter put into the new house last July, because I would have been liable for the full water rates bill, even though the house was unoccupied. With a meter I would only pay the standing charge and the cost of the actual usage, which wasn't much while the house was being renovated.

It was my intention to stay on the meter once we have moved in, but having done some homework on metered prices, and having found no good reason whatsoever to stay on a meter, I now intend to got back onto the "old system" before the 12 month period is up.

I honestly think that the introduction of water metering was an opportunity for the water companies to bamboozle people and jack up the prices in what they thought would be an undetectable way. AND of course blame the consumer for using too much water !

Cardew

moonrakerz,
Clearly if it suits your circumstances to remain unmetered you should do so.

For the majority a meter is the best option and for some of us the savings on a meter are huge(£700-£800pa)

I totally agree that if the water companies could 'screw' us they wouldn't hesitate to do so. However we have a regulator with a lot of teeth and the regulator estimates that 70% of households will benefit by having a meter.

moonrakerz

Cardew wrote:

the regulator estimates that 70% of households will benefit by having a meter.

Cardew, old chap, I think you have just destroyed your own point there !

If 70% will benefit, that means 70% will pay less. That means the water company's profits will fall, but there is absolutely no way that would be allowed to happen.

I must also disagree when you say the regulator has "lots of teeth" - if he has, they are "false teeth". His performance over the way the companies are not controlling leaks is adequate proof of that. Sadly, several of the companies have run rings round him.

I said I was a cynic !

Emmysmum_2

Our utility room is in the old wash house just outside the back kitchen door. I noted that stats say a modern front loader uses no more than 45 L of water per completed wash cycle. A typical water butt from B and Q (the standard ones, not slim line , dec or anything), holds 210 L. Hubby is going to get us one and hook it to my washer so that if not enough water in the butt, we fill from the mains. I only do about 4 -5 loads a week

Perhaps we should look at creative solutions to NOT having to pay for some our water!