Water meter not that cheap really...

harveybobbles

OK. We was paying £28 per month for our water/waste water, so as its just the two of us who live here in a 2 bedroom house I decided to have a water meter installed (very MSE I thought...)

First bill came... £16.00
Next month... £28
Next month... £32
Next month... £30

• The back garden is paved, has decking and some other gravely stuff. - But no grass to water/feed.
• We don't have a dish washer.
• The washing machine goes on about twice a week.
• We only have a shower in the bathroom.
• Wash the car at work.
• I have a quick shower every day.
• OH washed every day and showeres a few times a week.

Just seems silly that being on a water meter can work out to be dearer than just having a standard charge each month.

Cardew

It might not be cheaper for you as, presumably, your house had a low Rateable Value(RV).

However your metered bill would be roughly the same if the two of you lived in a 5 bedroomed detached and the unmetered RV charge could be £100 a month.

The majority of people will have lower bills with a meter, however there will be a sizeable minority who won't gain by getting a meter - particularly larger families in a house with a low RV.

macman

I don't understand why your monthly payment is varying-they will normally do a meter read twice or four times and year and adjust a fixed DD accordingly.
Are these amounts based on actual readings-if not, they don't necessarily represent actual consumption-for which you need to read your own meter.

irenee

There is the possibility that you have a leak after the meter

Try reading your meter when there is no water usage in the house (perhaps before going to bed) - don't use any water whatever and check it again (say first thing in the morning) - if the meter has moved then you have a leak

Mine has a little spurred knob that shows movement when the meter is reading water usage, but not all have

ps - your payments for 4 months of £100 is more than my entire yearly water/sewage bill - though I do live on my own and am very MSE with water usage (I even flush the loo with bath water)

Gothicfairy

I didn't know any water company that bill domestic customers every month..That is just way to much work. Are you sure it is not a payment plan that has been misunderstood ?

harveybobbles

I should have pointed out that I am submitting meter readings at the start of every month and then paying online.

quicklee99

irenee wrote: »

ps - your payments for 4 months of £100 is more than my entire yearly water/sewage bill - though I do live on my own and am very MSE with water usage (I even flush the loo with bath water)

If you were that MSE you'd have a shower instead :P

deanos

harveybobbles wrote: »

I should have pointed out that I am submitting meter readings at the start of every month and then paying online.

But does it calculate a new brand new bill every time you do that ?

JC_Derby

Could the fluctuation be accounted for by the first month being only a short month, ie meter installed 15th and you submitting readings on the 1st of the next month. Then maybe different bills due to the length of the months ie february will be very small cos its so short but march etc etc

irenee

quicklee99 wrote: »

If you were that MSE you'd have a shower instead :P

One bath a week with washdowns every day is much more MSE than daily showers!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have done assessments of the water loss (directed into a bucket) before the shower is up to temperature - and when I do shower I use the Navy system - wet; water off; shampoo/soap; rinse off

Believe me a washdown is the least water usage available