Water meters - pros and cons? 24 September 2004 at 12:33AM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in Water Bills 594 replies 363.3K views

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

It is not normal for the Landlord to pay for water charges. Look at your rental agreement.

adindas

I am living in London Zone 3. My property is currently unmetred and I am currently paying around £37 a month for three bedrooms property single occupancy.

I have been offered by Thames Water to get a meter and I am seriously considering it as based on the experience of my neighbors with similar occupancy pattern with me who has done that said she saved around £17 a month.

What I would like to know is that. If I move from unmetred to metered
1. I understand there is not any cost involve. Am I getting it right ?
2. I am considering renting it in the future when I have the second property. If I move back to meter. Could I still do that ? How much is it going to cost to do that ??
3. What other pitfalls of doing that I will to be careful.

Thank you for your time ...

moneyminx wrote: »

Having changed to a water meter in January 2005, my bills are now considerably lower than last year. It remains to be seen whether or not they will stay as low as that, but the monthly payment is based on the answers given to a questionnaire by Severn Trent that is supposed to work out your average water consumption. They ask everything from how many times do you use the toilet per week to how much you use a hose pipe.

I use a dishwasher 3 times week, use washing machine 4 times a week, I have an 11 year old son, and between us we have 2 baths and approximately 10 showers per week. My bill has dropped from £34 (last years bill, so would probably be higher than that now) to £16.60 per month. Obviously when you pay by direct debit you only actually pay 8 month whereas now I am paying over 12. This is still a saving of £80+ though. I found all the information on the website for Severn Trent including the questionnaire to work out water consumption and cost so it will be worth you having a look at the site for your own supplier.

ASavvyBuyer

dorix wrote: »

Nobody has even mentioned about gardeners when discussing water meters.

We are also just two people living in our home and are also keen gardeners with a 1/3 acre garden. But for watering the plants we have water butts, 5 in total for the garden, which provide ample "free" water.

We are on a water meter and just pay £10 a month, as we also have one of our toilets fed by water from some water butts for flushing the loo, rather than using mains water we have to pay for.

Eric_Disley

adindas wrote: »

I am living in London Zone 3. My property is currently unmetred and I am currently paying around £37 a month for three bedrooms property single occupancy.

I have been offered by Thames Water to get a meter and I am seriously considering it as based on the experience of my neighbors with similar occupancy pattern with me who has done that said she saved around £17 a month.

What I would like to know is that. If I move from unmetred to metered
1. I understand there is not any cost involve. Am I getting it right ?
2. I am considering renting it in the future when I have the second property. If I move back to meter. Could I still do that ? How much is it going to cost to do that ??
3. What other pitfalls of doing that I will to be careful.

Thank you for your time ...

You may want to check with the water company but in our region (Severn Trent) there's no cost for installing a water meter. You've got two years to decide if you want to keep it. If you decide you don't want the meter any more e.g. because your bills have actually gone up you can revert to paying a fixed amount each month based on your property's rateable value.

To be honest, I can't really see any pitfalls. Unless you've got a large garden that you regularly water, or some other reason for using a lot of water, you ought to make a significant saving and, if you don't, you can switch back.

Cardew

Although the person who applies for a meter can revert back to charges based on the Rateable value, the water meter stays in situ and subsequent occupants will pay metered charges.

Marvqn1

If a water meter was already installed when you moved into the house, does this mean if you've lived in the house for years there is no option to switch to unmetered?

Cardew

Marvqn1 wrote: »

If a water meter was already installed when you moved into the house, does this mean if you've lived in the house for years there is no option to switch to unmetered?

Yes you cannot revert to unmetered(RV based) charges.

The only exception is if the account holder applied for a meter. They(the account holder) then have the option to revert within 2 years(1 year with some companies) to unmetered charges.

adindas

Eric_Disley wrote: »

You may want to check with the water company but in our region (Severn Trent) there's no cost for installing a water meter. You've got two years to decide if you want to keep it. If you decide you don't want the meter any more e.g. because your bills have actually gone up you can revert to paying a fixed amount each month based on your property's rateable value.

To be honest, I can't really see any pitfalls. Unless you've got a large garden that you regularly water, or some other reason for using a lot of water, you ought to make a significant saving and, if you don't, you can switch back.

Cardew wrote: »

Yes you cannot revert to unmetered(RV based) charges.

The only exception is if the account holder applied for a meter. They(the account holder) then have the option to revert within 2 years(1 year with some companies) to unmetered charges.

Thanks. The water meter is actually already in place in my propoerty and they have sent me an offer valid for two years if I want to switch it to meter.

Could we switch it back anytime in the future and no time restriction when we will not be able to switch it back without huge cost of doing so? For instance, after five years with meter, I rent my property, could I switch it back to unmetered water ?? In this case is there any significant cost of involving switching back ??

From Cardew post I understand after two years with meter there is no more option to dwitch it back to unmetered. Am I understand it correctly ???

Cardew

adindas wrote: »

Thanks. The water meter is actually already in place in my propoerty and they have sent me an offer valid for two years if I want to switch it to meter.

Could we switch it back anytime in the future and no time restriction when we will not be able to switch it back without huge cost of doing so? For instance, after five years with meter, I rent my property, could I switch it back to unmetered water ?? In this case is there any significant cost of involving switching back ??

From Cardew post I understand after two years with meter there is no more option to dwitch it back to unmetered. Am I understand it correctly ???

Firstly, as the water meter was already in place, I cannot understand how you are being offered the chance to remain on non-metered rates. It is standard procedure that new occupants will be metered.

There is also no option to ever revert to non- metered(ie, RV based) charges; other than the occupant who initially applied for a meter.

All the information is here:

http://ccwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/439

adindas

Cardew wrote: »

Firstly, as the water meter was already in place, I cannot understand how you are being offered the chance to remain on non-metered rates. It is standard procedure that new occupants will be metered.

There is also no option to ever revert to non- metered(ie, RV based) charges; other than the occupant who initially applied for a meter.

All the information is here:

http://ccwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/439

Thank for taking time asnwering my question. I really appreciate it ...

I think I will need to make it clear my case. I am living in London so my water is supplied by Thameswater.

I am the home owner occupant. When I bought the house five years ago it was unmetered. About one year ago they started sending the letter to the people on my areas, that they are going to put a meter in our areas. I herewith copy and paste of the letter I received

Dear Mr XXX

thameswatar.co.uk/mymeter
0800 316 0989
Mon- Frl8am-8pm. Sat 8am-1pm
Our ref : XXXXXX
Job ref: XXXXXXX

We are writing to let you know about plans to fit smart water meters in your area. how this will affect you and why we're doing it.
Managing water supplies will only get more difficult as our population grows and our climate changes.

As a result. we need to modernise the way we manage supplies by fitting meters across our region.
Meters are the fairest way to pay. as you only pay for what you use. and metered customers tend to
use 12 per cent less water. Smart technology will enable you to view your usage online to better
control your bill.
To make the change to a meter as easy as possible for you. we will:
• Help you adjust: You will not be moved on to a metered account until two years after your meter Is activated to give you time to understand your water use and charges.
• Keep in touch: We'll send you comparison bllls so you can see how a meter could Impact your bill. and find out if you would save money by switching to a meter early.
• Help you save water, energy and money: You can sign up for a free Smarter Home Visit where we'll fit free water-saving devices that could help you save up to £180 on annual metered water and energy bills.
• Credit your account: If we find your metered bill would be lower than your unmetered charges. we'll credit your account with the difference if you ask to switch within the first year.
• Fix any leaks we find under your garden or driveway free of charge.
• Provide extra support and financial assistance for customers in hardship.

When will I get my smart meter?
We plan to start work in your area in about one month. If we need to temporarily cone off some areas In your street we'll send you a reminder a few days before work starts. to let you know. If you have been unable to get a meter fitted in the past. we will reassess this.

Ahead of this work. our team will knock on doors to answer any questions and discuss the next steps.
The enclosed booklet should provide you with everything you need to know in the meantime.

Please note that this letter is just for information. and there is no action for you to take.

The meter in my areas finally arrive about a few months ago but I am still within one year windows.

You explain it that there is also no option to ever revert to non- metered(ie, RV based) charges; other than the occupant who initially applied for a meter.

I will be the occupant who will apply for to use the meter water if I decide to do so in the near future.

I wonder I do apply for a meter, could I revert it back after two years elapse a few month before I rent my property (If I decide to do so in the future) ?

Apart from the above, is there any disadvantage or pitfall I will need to be aware of when I decide to go for meter water ??

I just want to gather preliminary information. My personal experience is telling do not just believe what "the vendor" is telling you as their advise is impartial and they might just give a good features and hiding the positive features if you do not ask them. People normally do not ask this thing as they do not know. I am trying to gather this info.

Thank again in advance for answering my queries ...