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Water meters - pros and cons?
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Hi all
I am on a water meter and I am so proud. My last bill was 67 pound which covered from 22 Nov 07 to 13 May 08. I used 28 cubic metres of water.
In my house hold there is my husband and I, plus 3 children. 2 dogs.
We have changed from baths to showers. (10 baths is 30 showers).
I have trained the older 2 11 and 7 years to turn the tap off when brushing their teeth.
I dont waste water when washing up, I do rinse all my stuff after washing it, but when my water butts are empty I use my shower water and washing up water to water my plants and veggies.
My washing machine is on every day, sometimes more than once a day.
If I do a boil wash then it isnt very often, may be once a month.
I am a stay at home mum so I do drink a lot of coffee during the day, prob about 8 to 10 cups.
All I need to do now is train the kids and hubby to not waste my electric.
Caz
My last bill was 57 cubic metres and the one before that was 31, so it can be done if you are carefull.:jJuly 185.19/200/Aug=170.25//200//sept=81.24/200. 2adults,3 kids + 2 dogs.
my home page=3.45.Sealed challenge pot=NO-276.
BOGOF's=16.94/whoopsi=13.12/vouchers=7.70/Wilko's saving stamp 24 pounds/2 pound pot ?count 1/12/08
Daily Clicks=27.960 -
Save water AND money!! I have a water meter and my aim is to stop the dial recording usage legally!! Rain water is for free!! I have fitted a non return valve on my toilet cistern. I use the flush normally but refill the cistern with water from rain butts (I live in a bungalow), water saved from a shower, (caught in a bucket). I also have four water butts.
Sewage costs are partially based on how much water is used. Therefore reducing water also saves on the Sewage costs.
I realise it is not usually considered hygienic, but it really is not necessary to flush "normal" urine away each time.0 -
The trouble with water meters is you have no control Electricity and gas (hopefully!) do not leak however it can be alleged that you have a leak.Last year we suddenly got a water bill for over £1000 for a half year.Three Valleys insist their meter cannot be at fault however they state that it might under record.Our plumber cannot find any trace of a leak and subsequent bills have been back to normal To add insult to injury they could not even bother to read the meter in the whole of 2006.The meter is outside my property on a driveway in a manhole and to access it you need tools to lift the cover and then bale out surface water from the public highway Their managing director expected me to do this in order to mitigate my losses.Unless they back down I have asked them to go to the small claims court.If you are thinking of a water meter think again it might save you money but you could be liable for an enormous bill and you cannot change your provider.I would love any feedback from any one else
John Auld0 -
Love my water meter it saves me a fortune. I have 3 boys and the usual things in the house that needs water. I still save a fortune on what the rates are in my area. My boys have grown up understanding that saving water is as important and recycling.
If there is only 2 of you in the house then go for it, I converted my parents and the water board paid them for 12 months where they had overpaid by so much. If all else fails you can always go back the the old bills, they will let you.0 -
We chose to have a water meter fitted 11 years ago - bills are half the amount had we stayed on RV.
We are careful with the amount of water we use - but we don't scrimp!!
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I'm proud to be on a meter and in charge of how much I pay.
I would pay over £360 for 2 adults but spendnig Under £50 will save me around £160 per year.
I have invested in:
Ecocamel Aerated shower head.
Tapmagic inserts
Loo block to reduce water by 1 litre.
When I was here by myself it was costing me around £140Lets get this straight. Say my house is worth £100K, it drops £20K and I complain but I should not complain when I actually pay £200K via a mortgage:rolleyes:0 -
I have a meter - I live on my own in a flat so it's ideal for me, and I'm not here all the time. it certainly makes you more aware of wasting water, and inclined to save it - just like electricity really. My last six months bill for £56 for both supply, drainage and road drainage. I note the comment about leaks - that isn't an issue for me as the meter is in my hallway - I assume I'd notice a leak there. You can of course keep an eye on your water usage as you do with power.
I think that on balance the leakage issue isn't worth turning down a meter for - and most water companies put a meter in when you move to a new property now anyway. If you convert to a meter most water companies will allow you to go back to rateable value in the first twelve months. Finally - my company (which is Southern) guarantees to read meters every six months.0 -
Okay, I read most of this thread, but I still have a question. We just had a water meter installed, but TW says that they are only going to read it once per year. Is there some way we can get a reading before then, so we can see how we're doing in comparison to their estimate? We don't want to get nailed with a gigantic bill next August.Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. - Jonathan Kozol0
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To read the meter, open the inspection hatch and record the meter reading. Really simple.
You can then ring TW with this reading. With Northumbrian water you can send the reading via there websiteLets get this straight. Say my house is worth £100K, it drops £20K and I complain but I should not complain when I actually pay £200K via a mortgage:rolleyes:0 -
When i applied for a water meter i was told that as my property was old, in order to have a Meter i would have to have a new earth on my Electricty.
At my Expense of course and involving lifting floorboards.
If the make WM compulsory, who will pay for this ?0
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