Should I switch to a water meter?

Likestowrite

When I moved to my 4 bedroomed house over 20 years ago I had a husband and 3 children.
Now I'm suddenly on my own and retired, I'm thinking I should probably switch to a water meter.

My Anglian water bill up to April 2013 is
Water Supply
Standard rate
Rateable value £79.83
standing charge £191.10
Total water charge £270.93

Sewerage service
Standard rate
Rateable value £81.11
Standing charge £217.01
Total sewerage charge £298.12

Bill amount £569.05

Would going on a water meter only save me money on the water supply bill or on the sewerage service too?

I've read that when most people are on a meter the charges could go up and end up being the same as the original rate-based charge for some. Is that likely to happen in my case? Would I have to use a lot of water to end up paying the same as I am now?

And would I need some sort of insurance insurance against leaks?

Any advice would be great.

penrhyn

Don't delay get a water meter. With a meter your sewage is assumed to be the same volume as your supply.
I'm on my own have a water meter and pay around £10 /month for an annual consumption of around 30 cubic metres (Severn Trent).

Water supply £1.52 per cumtr Annual standing charge £27.60
Used water £0.92 per cumtr. Annual standing charge £ 13.



I don't pay storm water drainage as we have soakaways.

robin58

I used to pay £240 the last time I had a water bill based on Rateable value. First year I had a total bill for £80! Been about that since.

Thing I have noticed is that your water in is more than your sewage bill. Why is that?

lee111s

Hosepipe maybe

robin58

lee111s wrote: »

Hosepipe maybe

Reason why I asked the question is usually sewage is about up to 10% off the water supply rate. Water board usually don't assume you will flush 100% of the water that you use down the drain.

penrhyn

Thats what Severn Trent do.

Cardew

robin58 wrote: »

Reason why I asked the question is usually sewage is about up to 10% off the water supply rate. Water board usually don't assume you will flush 100% of the water that you use down the drain.

I believe the companies assume between 5% and 10% will not be returned to the sewer(the difference being evaporation and on the garden)

If you can prove that even less goes to a sewer they will adjust on an individual basis.

It is worth noting that the way the 10% allowance is accounted for varies between companies.

e.g. if you are supplied with, say, 100 cubic metres of water with a sewerage charge of 120p per cubic metre. They can either charge for 90 cubic metres @ 120p or 100 cubic metres @ 108p

macman

Since you can revert to RV billing at no cost within the first 12 months if it turns out more expensive when metered, it's really a no-brainer.

Likestowrite

robin58 wrote: »

I

Thing I have noticed is that your water in is more than your sewage bill. Why is that?

I googled it and this is what I found

You will notice that the charges for taking away your waste water are higher than the charges for providing you with clean water.
This is because several processes and treatments have to be used to take away your waste water, clean it and make it safe enough to be put back into the water supply. These processes cost much more than those used to provide you with clean water.
http://anglianwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17/~/why-are-sewerage-charges-more-than-water%27s%3F

Cardew

Likestowrite wrote: »

I googled it and this is what I found

You will notice that the charges for taking away your waste water are higher than the charges for providing you with clean water.
This is because several processes and treatments have to be used to take away your waste water, clean it and make it safe enough to be put back into the water supply. These processes cost much more than those used to provide you with clean water.
http://anglianwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17/~/why-are-sewerage-charges-more-than-water%27s%3F

That varies from company to company.

In my company(Severn Trent) water is more than sewerage 152p/92p per cubic metre.

Likestowrite

When you switch to a water meter, is there still a standing charge for water and sewage ?