Important update! We have recently reviewed and updated our Forum Rules and FAQs. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the latest version.
Water meters - pros and cons?
594 replies
363.3K views
Quick links
Essential Money | Who & Where are you? | Work & Benefits | Household and travel | Shopping & Freebies | About MSE | The MoneySavers Arms | Covid-19 & Coronavirus Support
Replies
Water companies should install a meter if you request one - have a look at your water bill or their website. You have the option of trying it for 12 monts, some water companies it's 24 to see if it's saving you money - if not you can go back to RV billing.
When you are on a meter it's you that can control how much you use and therefore how much it costs.
You can do a rough estimate by checking your water co website to find out the cost of metered water & waste and put in around 110cum for the two of you.
That would be £2080 per year at £40 per week over an entire year :eek:
The last place I lived in London was with Sutton and East Surrey water and they were doing an absolute doozy on me, tried to get me to pay off the previous tenant's unpaid bills, then "fitted" a meter and my bill was about £90 for the whole lot every six months for the first year. By the time we left five years later, that had gone up to £160 every six months despite us using less water. Just before we left I looked in the manhole where our water meter was (under a tree in a mud bank, not in the pavement with the ones for the rest of the flats) and there was actually no meter. Seems they'd been making it all up. They tried to charge to me nearly £300 as an account closure bill until I challenged them on the situation.
I've got a meter at my new property and since moving in April I've paid a six month standing charge and one bill period based on a reading at a total of £36. I monitor the reading on the meter now, so I can challenge with every bill if needs be. It's looking like our six months bill will be nearer the £60 I expect. It's only two of us in a 3 bed house.
There are just two of us and we have had no garden/lawn watering to do ,few full car washes , plus a silly period where we did not flush the toilet every time when in alone and collected the first cold water from the hot tap for plant watering (still do in the kitchen where plants are handy),but even with these savings reduced it would still be a very small bill in comparison to previous costs.
I wish we'd converted years ago.
£220 in the South West would be cheap, expensive in Thames.
Bearing in mind that water charges can be 3 times as much in some districts than others
Me about £250 PA with South Staffs Water .
RV charges circa £600- £650.