Water meters - pros and cons?

CTT_2

My water bill was nearly £390 per annum. Since having the meter installed I pay £160 per annum. The part of the country I live in is one of the dearest for water as we have to pay for the crockles and ements who invade our countryside and beaches.

amadwoman

I had a water meter at my previous house. 2 of us lived there and the bill was £180 a year. I was pleased with it. We moved to our new house 15 months ago, same area and company, same occupancy. I was somewhat concerned to see the dial on the meter whizzing around even when no water was being used, and the tank was not refilling. I was more concerned when I got the first years bill-£580!!!..I turned the stop tap off, which is located next to the meter, and still it whizzed around. I contacted Severn Trent who were helpful and told me to turn the water off overnight and check the readings, I did and found one cubic metre had been used overnight (not by us though!) Severn trent arranged for a meter fitter to attend, and he confirmed by looking at it whizzing around whilst no water was being used, that it was faulty, and gave us a new one. The result- we are now using 0.17 cubic metres a day.
We had a bit of hassle getting a refund off Severn Trent. Firstly they decided to base our previous years bill on our usage 2 years ago. I argued this stating our new home was more efficient in that we don't have a bath, we have a new eco friendly washing machine and we have a water butt to water the garden. Our usage 2 years ago was 0.34 cubic metres a day. I did a check over 10 days after our new meter was fitted and found it to be 0.17. It took a few phone calls to win my case but to be fair to them they agreed with me and gave me £30 compensation for my stress. Very nice too! So yes I think water meters are good if they are working, I now regularly do a reading and check our daily usage is similiar. My next door neighbour, with a similiar house and same water company, but not on a meter, pays £360 a year. We are looking at £200 maximum for our next yearly bill.
One thing of interest that the meter fitter said is that the fitted battery inside the meter should be replaced occasionally, I think he said every 10 years but don't quote me on that. Severn Trent have to change it.
Hope this helps you!

devon-gnome

I thought it might be useful if I tell you about my experience with South West Water and my request to have a meter fitted.
The surveyor came to see if a meter could be fitted but decided that we couldn't have one because the main supply tap was in the main road and it would have been too dangerous for the meter readers to position a meter there.
As an alternative to having a water meter, he then offered an alternative; An ASSESSED CHARGE based on the amount of people living in the property. As there are two of us, this came to £121.50 per year. (I need to say that we pay 'sewage charges' of £20.00 separately and annually; a sum paid by 7 properties.)
I'm certain that not many people know about the Assessed Charge system. So, if you live in a rural area and have a mains tap that is in a difficult position, it would be worth you asking for a water meter and then requesting an Assessed Charge if the water company decide that it would be too difficult/dangerous for them to position a meter for you.

PaddyLen

alanobrien wrote:

As already mentioned if you change to a water meter you can go back to an annual bill if you ask within the first year.

What they seem to avoid telling you is that the meter is left in place so whoever buys your house when you sell it is stuck with the meter.

A friend of mine changed to a meter last year - a family of 4 in the Thames water area, their bill increased by £40 on the year so they went back to the annual bill.

So i guess its worth doing for singles and couples
but questionable for families.

A Meter works for me! :rotfl:
After moving into my new house I received a Water Services Bill from Thames Water which was based on my Rateable value. (Detached, 4 Beds 2 Adults ,2 Teens,D/washer, Wash M/c, 30 power showers p/w, 3 baths.)

They wanted £855.65 for the year (1/4/05 – 31/3/06) or £2.34 per day.

I ordered a Meter (for free) and after 232 days (including Garden auto watering in our dry Summer) I have paid 93p per day!
A Meter slashed my bill by 60% or £513.00 per year!!!!
"you know it makes sense" :j

calleyw

We have moved from a one bedflat and no meter where paying a £189 a year. And just before we moved I got the new bill and it was going to be £210 a year.

We are now in a 3 bedroom house. Same amount of people and the last 6 month bill was £79 on a meter. Had no choice as it was already here when we moved in.

And we have a rather ancient 7 year old washing machine so that will drink a little bit of water. Glad when it finally breaks down and I can get a nice eco one.

So we are looking at a bill of about £180 a year. I have no idea what it would be on a rateable value. But I reckon close to £250-£300 a year.

So for us it is a money saver. Only problem being is if you are in a family house like this. It may well be more expensive and put people off buying the house. But will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Yours

Calley

holidaygal

Anglia Water will fit a meter and let you try it for six months. We tried it and after 3 months went back to the old method as it was going to work out more expensive. This was in the winter so no watering the garden, car washing etc. Not sure what went wrong as most of my neighbours cut their bills by half.

medical

I have been advised by my water supplier to take an annual insurance cover for water supply pipe cover. In essence it will cover any burst pipe repairs that may occur from the mains supply into my house. Is it worth it, and has anyone experieced repairs without the cover?

dreamypuma

Hi,

I'm in the process of buying my first home, a three bed semi. I've been dooing some budgeting thanks to this website and am exploring all avenues of saving money.

As I will be the only resident at this property I'm considering a water meter. I know the rateable value of the water is £268 annually, and I've checked Yorkshire Waters Calculator for a compabable quote on a water meter. I seem that my annual bill will go down to between £106 - £186. Does this sound realistic? or is this a sales gimmick?

I'll have no dishwasher, prefer showers to baths, only have a lawn and low maintenace garden.

As I work full time the chances are that I will only be at the property on evenings and weekends. As a single male I don't cook much and probably be fed and watered now and again at my parents house (:D)

Finally do the water boards charge to install a meter? In particular Yorkshire Water? If so how much?

I've had a good look on YW website but can't find any indication of a charge..

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Not sure if Yorkshire Water charge to install a meter. I had a friend in a house on Yorkshire Water a couple of years ago, they had a meter and were the sole occupier and their bill at that time was £10 a month. They acheived this by being very economical with water, used a shower etc, so your quote looks ok. Hope this helps

dreamypuma

Dora_the_Explorer wrote:

their bill at that time was £10 a month.

That's a big difference. Really worth looking into. I spoke to YW billing today but she didn't answer my question. When my Dad had a business before retiring, he seems to remember being charged. However this was for commercial use, and many years ago when the meters were first introduced.