water meter - worth getting?

LindaJane47

Dear all

Do any of you have a water meter? We are a couple with an occasional lodger, living in a 4 bed house, so in theory it might be cheaper for us to have a meter..... but we don't want to get one and then find it isn't!!

Obviously water rates are going to be different in different parts of the country, but if any of you have a meter, please could you let me know how much water you actually use?

Thanks and regards
Linda

Doozergirl

I'm not sure exactly how much we use but we use a lot. I have a bath at least once a day and no one except my husband is capable of a shower that lasts less than 20 minutes. We have a dishwasher and a busy washing machine for a rugby boy and two builders! I was also in during the day. There were five of us in the house (down to four but no bill yet) and we've levelled out at about £60 a month for water in, waste out and the rainwater pipes discharging to the sewer.

Does that help at all?

searchlight123

LindaJane47 wrote: »

Dear all

Do any of you have a water meter? We are a couple with an occasional lodger, living in a 4 bed house, so in theory it might be cheaper for us to have a meter..... but we don't want to get one and then find it isn't!!

Obviously water rates are going to be different in different parts of the country, but if any of you have a meter, please could you let me know how much water you actually use?

Thanks and regards
Linda

2 years ago i was in the same situation. 4 bed detached 2 sometimes 3 living here. i'm with thames water and they offered me a meter with the proviso that if i wasn't happy after 12 months they would revert me back to water rates.
well i'm still on the meter. my water rates were around £440 per annum. i now am averaging around £330 on the meter. i don't think my usage has changed much, but you do think twice about leaving the garden sprinkler on etc. and leaving taps running when brushing teeth or washing up!!

paulpud

Up until 7 years ago the two of us (with occasional overnight visitors) were living in quite a new but smallish 3 bed detached and our water rates were £380 per year with Severn Trent.

Since then we've lived in a larger 4 bed detached fitted with a water meter and still with Severn Trent. Our water bill is now around £260 per year.

I'm sure I read somewhere that most properties with more bedrooms than people would benefit from a water meter.

Doozergirl

Okay, so I know now that a water metre isn't good for us!

Norman_Castle

http://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

I'm pretty sure you can revert to rateable value prices within a year.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=79

firefox1956

I think Norman Castle is correct.
The only thing is if you go down this route when you sell your property whoever buys it will have to pay for metered water. They cannot go back to rateable value pricing.
HTH

dj1471

Norman_Castle wrote: »

http://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

I was just about to post that

Whether a water meter is cheaper or not will depend on where you are and how you currently pay for water (rateable value or assessed charge?), not just how much you use.

I would also be paying more with a meter, even though I don't use much water, because my rateable value is really low.

McKneff

You can have a meter put in and then if you find it is more expensive, you can have them removed at the end of a year.


I bet you 10 to one its cheaper for you.


My water costs dropped from just short ot forty, on the RV to just short of 20 on a meter.

[Deleted User]

Give me one good reason why everyone shouldn't be on a meter. Paying on RV is like paying an annual subscription to Tesco and then helping yourself to as much food as you want. Regressive tariffs are incentivising waste by subsidising the profligate at the expense of the frugal.

It's high time meters were compulsory, and standing charges were banned.

giraffe69

Give me one good reason why everyone shouldn't be on a meter.

Because it isn't compulsory and it wouldn't be in some peoples interests.
Because not everyone can have a meter fitted