Water meters - pros and cons?

Princess_kate

Im in a flat, 1 adult, shower only, before my meter was put in i was paying £33 a month for water, put down to £17.50 after installation, after 6-8 months i think it is they will reasses your usage & put down your DD if required, I recently had mine put down to £11.50 a month with a £65 refund.....not bad!! this is in south wales

ALEXAAS

We Are A Couple Careful With Water And Thought We Would Have A Meter. After A Problem Finding The Stopcock United Utilities Gave Up But Meanwhile I Found Out The Meter Would Be £98 /pa Standing Charge So We Would Finish Up Paying More Than Now. Do Other Water Companies Have A Standing Charge?

Cardew

ALEXAAS wrote:

We Are A Couple Careful With Water And Thought We Would Have A Meter. After A Problem Finding The Stopcock United Utilities Gave Up But Meanwhile I Found Out The Meter Would Be £98 /pa Standing Charge So We Would Finish Up Paying More Than Now. Do Other Water Companies Have A Standing Charge?

You are of course stuck with the company that serves your area.

Some companies have higher standing charges and lower water cost.

Severn Trent have an annual Standing Charge of £19.80 or £28.32 for water and £10.24 or £15 for sewerage.

Are you sure that the £98 is not a minimum charge and not a Standing charge? Severn Trent have a min charge of £94.20.

peach_triller

My elderly mother who lives alone had a water meter installed and halved her monthly bill to about £18. However last month she received a bill for over £800!!! An inspector checked the meter and claims there is no leak. Two visits from a plumber confirm no leak on premises but they still want £800. Anyone with similar experiences and helpful advice?

Wig

peach_triller wrote:

My elderly mother who lives alone had a water meter installed and halved her monthly bill to about £18. However last month she received a bill for over £800!!! An inspector checked the meter and claims there is no leak. Two visits from a plumber confirm no leak on premises but they still want £800. Anyone with similar experiences and helpful advice?

More information needed.
When was the meter read before the last time (not estimated) What was the reading and the units of the meter m^3/ft^3 and what was the reading this time around?

i.e.. the last 2 actual meter readings and the dates....actually the last 3 would be better. And what is the reading today? i.e. was the last reading accurate?

Is the dial still going round fast or is it now stopped? Did she leave a hose pipe on?

Cardew

There is no way that amount can be 'used'.

The only thing I can think of is that a tap somewhere(garden?) was left on for some weeks; or a stuck valve in a cistern - again for months.

To start I would write to the Utility Company and ask if the would waive some of the charge.

Art_2

peach_triller wrote:

My elderly mother who lives alone had a water meter installed and halved her monthly bill to about £18. However last month she received a bill for over £800!!! An inspector checked the meter and claims there is no leak. Two visits from a plumber confirm no leak on premises but they still want £800. Anyone with similar experiences and helpful advice?

When I had my meter installed initially I was getting high readings. Eventually it was discovered that my meter had been connected to my neighbour's property and not mine.
The water company corrected the error and now everything is working properly. It's worth checking that the same thing hasn't happened here.

Regards,
Art.

vfairbrass

Has anyone found that potential purchasers were put off by a house having a water meter?

Art_2

vfairbrass wrote:

Has anyone found that potential purchasers were put off by a house having a water meter?

This used to be the case but with more houses now fitted with a meter I don't think most people now worry about it when buying a property.

Regards,
Art.

Cardew

vfairbrass wrote:

Has anyone found that potential purchasers were put off by a house having a water meter?

When there is a change of owner for a property, the water company can insist that a meter is fitted - and usually do so.

So if potential purchasers are serious about buying, any house they buy will require a water meter to be fitted.