Should I get a Meter

foreversummer

Hi

I say yes, hubby says no.

We live in the Wessex Water area. Four bedroom house and there are four of us.

Unmetered we currently pay £949.70 per annum.

We do water our baskets and containers in summer with watering cans and we do clean the car once a week with a hose. Never use a sprinkler.

I can't find anyone who pays as much as us, surely we would be better off?

What does anyone think.

Foreversummer

matelodave

The best part of £1000 a year for water does sound like a lot. Have you got a high rateable value.

The average for a 4 person household is about 220 cu.m a year
Wessex Water website charges (from their website)

Water 220cu.m @ £2.2446 = £493.81 plus standing charge of £24 p/a = £517.81
Sewerage = 220 cu.m @ £1.8574 plus £54 s/c = £462.62

Giving a total of £980.43 which is a little more expensive however with a meter you do have the opportunity to reduce your costs by reducing your consumption.

Reading the meter and monitoring what you use can help you reduce your usage as can saving water by have shorter or fewer showers/baths. Fitting flow reducers to taps & the shower will save even more (often free from the water company).

Not letting water run down the sink when washing, rinsing or cleaning your teeth.
Only using the washing machine & dishwasher with full loads.
Only filling kettles & saucepans with as much water as you need.

Not only will these save water but they'll save energy as well

macman

Since you can revert to RV billing within the first 12m of installation anyway, it's a no-brainer to fit a meter and see. If it doesn't save you money, switch back.
Your annual bill does seem very high-what is the RV (from the bill)?

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Check water consumption here


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

foreversummer

Thank you all for your comments and I apologise for the delay in replying.

From my water bill it says the Rateable Value is £274. I've no idea how to compare it with others. Does that seem very high for a 4 bedroom house in a small village?

I know Wessex Water is one of the most expensive in the country.

Foreversummer

matelodave

It really doesn't matter, that's the RV that was fixed many years ago and you can't change it.

Have a look at the Wessex Water website and fight your way around it to find out about metering. In the FAQs they confirm that you can revert to RV billing if you find a meter doesn't save you money within the first 12 months so really you've got nothing to lose by trying it and quite a lot to gain if you try to be a bit economical.


Have a look http://www.wessexwater.co.uk/do-it-online/default.aspx?id=1402


I'm with Anglian Water and just our RV standing charges are £508 without even adding the house RV which is another £100. Being on a meter we pay £325 for 65cu.m saving us over £275 a year.

PasturesNew

I've moved into a new place and just got my first bill. Living alone, don't wash the car, never watered the garden. Readings taken by them when I moved in and just over 5 months later, show 10 cubic metres used = £24 (under £5/month). I am at home all day and use a bath, not a shower. Don't use the washing machine, no dishwasher (do it by hand).

Half my bill is standing charge (£12). 123p per cubic meter the bill says (I received it this morning, so it's just here).

Cardew

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've moved into a new place and just got my first bill. Living alone, don't wash the car, never watered the garden. Readings taken by them when I moved in and just over 5 months later, show 10 cubic metres used = £24 (under £5/month). I am at home all day and use a bath, not a shower. Don't use the washing machine, no dishwasher (do it by hand).

Half my bill is standing charge (£12). 123p per cubic meter the bill says (I received it this morning, so it's just here).

That sounds like just a bill for water supply.


What about sewerage?


Do you have a septic tank? Or is the sewerage charge with another water company?

EmmyLou30

Like a previous poster said, you have a year to change your mind so no harm in getting one fitted to see. I doubt very much you'd be worse off unless you're incredibly wasteful to the point you should be ashamed of your wasteful ways being on MSE! ;-) I used to get bill of £11 by myself (for my combined water and sewage), and now my husband lives with me it's about £22 which makes sense, unlike other bills water useage does rise and multiply by the number of people fairly eaqually. We have a 50:50 mix of bath and showers, don't water the garden much except a few cans full for the pots in summer, wash the car every now and again and tend to leave the odd yellow to mellow in the loo to save a few flushes. So we're not wasteful but we don't fret over every drop either. You'd easily pay half what you currently do without having to change your useage habits much at all. Free money! Do it now.

dearlouise

Do remember once you've switched to a meter, you can't switch back - even if it costs you more.

I assumed the rule of thumb was if there are less people than bedrooms, you're better off on the meter.

In a 3 bed semi, living alone, I also got bills of between £11-£19 a month like emmylou30.

Ultimately only you know your habits.

Cardew

dearlouise wrote: »

Do remember once you've switched to a meter, you can't switch back - even if it costs you more.

Not so, - did you not read the post above you? If you initiate the switch to a meter you have 12 months to decide if it is beneficial. If it is not you can revert to paying based on your original Rateable Value(RV)


IIRC some while ago Ofwat estimated about 60% of those customers paying charges based on their RV would be better off with a meter.


That of course means 40% wouldn't be better off.


You just cannot make sweeping statements about who will be better off. Some very large old houses have a very low RV and would be better off staying on RV even with a single occupant, let alone a family of six.


These large old houses could have been modernised at any time since 1990(or before) and their RV won't have changed.


I know of an old derelict cottage that was demolished and a new 7 bedroomed house was built with outbuildings in over an acre; this all done with full planning permission and in accordance with building regs, and they retain the same RV as the old cottage. The Water company aren't bothered because the way they are funded, there is no advantage in getting the owner to pay more.