moved house - just found out we have a water meter!

lindens

Have you rung the water company to ask them how your water rates are calculated? And then asked them what their policy is about how you can be charged in the future.

Many internal water meters are no longer used and are now situated in the stop tap o/s the property. However the old meters are sometimes left in situ rather than disturb the plumbing

Cardew

ic wrote: »

+1


My recommendation is that if you are single and live in a smallish house, don't bother with a meter. My grandparents on the other hand live in a five bed house, and saved a fortune on their rates.

You are basing that recommendation on the assumption that a small house will always have a low RV, and a large house a high RV; and that all water companies use the same charging method as your company.


That simply is not the case for many properties. The RV was based on the notional rent a property could command - as long ago as 1973.


All sorts of factors contributed to the RV assessment - area, facilities, modernisation etc.


The only way a comparison, between metered and unmetered charges can be made, is to find the RV of the property and calculate the RV based charges from the company website.


Then compare those charges with an average water consumption of approx. 55 cubic metres per person, per year.


IMO far more single person households will be better off on a meter - regardless of their property's RV - than remaining on RV based charges.

GingerBob_3

Cardew wrote: »

It is possible that although a meter was installed, the previous occupant wasn't paying charges based on metered consumption. That is because it is possible for an occupant to have a meter fitted and revert back to charges based on Rateable Value within 12 months; however subsequent occupants will pay charges based on metered consumption - as indeed everyone should!!

Wrong. No one should. In this country it pees down for most of the year. The water companies pay NOTHING for their raw material, and yet in many cases nowadays they have the audacity to charge us as though they do (sewerage treatment costs aside).

There is no shortage of water here. Such "shortages" that do occur, are 100% the fault of these unaccountable companies who don't even face competition in the marketplace. They waste vast quantites through leakage. What a brilliant business eh! Free raw material and no competition. No wonder many of them have been snapped up by foreign predators.

Shows you what a bunch of swindlers they are. They've forced water meters on the entire population of the Isle of Wight, but when that caused a substantial reduction in usage they put up the price to compensate!

macman

The rainfall may be free. But much of our water comes from abstraction-and neither the storage, purification or supply are without cost.

GingerBob_3

macman wrote: »

The rainfall may be free. But much of our water comes from abstraction-and neither the storage, purification or supply are without cost.

It all comes from (free) rain. Other costs are, of course incurred, as I mentioned, but the basic material is free.

Cardew

GingerBob wrote: »

It all comes from (free) rain. Other costs are, of course incurred, as I mentioned, but the basic material is free.

I went to buy some mahogany for a project a little while ago; the price was horrific!


Mahogany grows in the forest on its own so the basic material is free!!!!


Come to think of it, the same applies to the gas under the North Sea!

'these unaccountable companies'

Not so! They are accountable to OFWAT a Regulator with teeth and not afraid to use those teeth.

Actually I agree with the main point of your post. IMO it was a huge mistake to privatise an essential monopoly like the water supply industry - and the companies are in a win/win position.

Politically it was a master stroke. It ensured that the costs of modernising the neglected, and largely Victorian water/sewerage infrastructure, was borne by the customers and not the Government.

sniggings

GingerBob wrote: »

Wrong. No one should. In this country it pees down for most of the year. The water companies pay NOTHING for their raw material, and yet in many cases nowadays they have the audacity to charge us as though they do (sewerage treatment costs aside).

There is no shortage of water here. Such "shortages" that do occur, are 100% the fault of these unaccountable companies who don't even face competition in the marketplace. They waste vast quantites through leakage. What a brilliant business eh! Free raw material and no competition. No wonder many of them have been snapped up by foreign predators.

Shows you what a bunch of swindlers they are. They've forced water meters on the entire population of the Isle of Wight, but when that caused a substantial reduction in usage they put up the price to compensate!

why blame a business for making money, surely your anger should be directed at government for allowing it, you are playing into their hands they did this to shift the blame.

BobQ

Cardew wrote: »

It is possible that although a meter was installed, the previous occupant wasn't paying charges based on metered consumption. That is because it is possible for an occupant to have a meter fitted and revert back to charges based on Rateable Value within 12 months; however subsequent occupants will pay charges based on metered consumption - as indeed everyone should!!


You might have some case against the old owner's solicitor if they provided incorrect information - speak to your solicitor.

It may also be the case that what the seller said was correct. When notified of a change of owner the water company may have (a) installed a meter (b) begun using the meter for billing rather than RV. The seller may not have even known the water meter was there if all the bills were invoiced on the basis of RV.

I recall that when I asked voluntarily for a meter to be installed, it was done the next day and took 5 minutes so I can believe that if the supplier was told of a change of occupancy on a particular date they might schedule the job on that day before you even arrived!

Frogletina

Five years ago I was paying over £40 a month for water. I moved in 2009 to a property with a water meter and I am now paying just under £23.

I wish I'd had one fitted years ago at the old address which was just down the road.