Water meter..is it worth it for me? 29 December 2015 at 1:36PM in Water bills 19 replies 2.3K views

sam1970

I am moving to a 5 bedroom house next month and there is no water meter there. The annual water bill for the house is just over £1200 which sounds excessive to me considering that only one person lives in the house. For the five of us (me, my partner and 3 children) our current water bill (on meter- 4 bed house) is about £450. My question is: Is it worth it asking the water company to fit a meter when we move in? Will they review their annual bill (without a meter) and will it go up because there are 5 of us? it just seems mad to pay £1200 for one person in the house !!

JJ_Egan

The £1200 will be on the ratable value of the house if no meter nothing to do with usage .Its the old premeter method of charging for water .
The best is for a water meter asap as you have a year to decide if you would rather pay on the RV of the house once fited .

System

If there is no water meter, then the charges are normally based on the RV of the property. It follows that if you are a large family that uses lots of water, then this may work in your favour. Water companies used to offer a low user tariff but I see that many companies are dropping this type of offer in favour of water meters. Only you can assess whether a water meter can work for you. Some water suppliers will allow you to switch back to unmetered supply. You do not say where you live bur this is typical of the policy adopted by most water companies:

http://www.unitedutilities.com/is-a-meter-right-for-me.aspx

sam1970

Thank you guys. I am in the midlands and severn trent water say on their website that although installing meter is free but if I want it moved to another place (or i guess removing it completely) there will be a charge. I tried their water usage calculator and even after exaggerating our usage, the bill will come to £700 so the RV of £1200 is not worth it in my opinion but I will appreciate advice

sam1970

Also, does the RV bill go up with time or is it fixed?

System

Water charges, and annual increases, are regulated by OFWAT.

Update:

What is rateable value and how is it calculated?

The District Valuer on behalf of the Inland Revenue originally assessed rateable values. They were based on the size of the property, the number of rooms inside the property, the amenities available and the overall location.

No new rateable values have been set since March 1990 following the introduction of the Poll Tax; alterations to existing rateable values are not possible. Water Companies are still legally entitled to use this basis of charge. We are unable to use council tax banding as a basis of charge. All new properties built since 1990 are metered and therefore, rateable value does not apply. Existing properties with rateable values have the option to have a meter installed. For more details please ring 08457 090 646.

HappyMJ

sam1970 wrote: »

Thank you guys. I am in the midlands and severn trent water say on their website that although installing meter is free but if I want it moved to another place (or i guess removing it completely) there will be a charge. I tried their water usage calculator and even after exaggerating our usage, the bill will come to £700 so the RV of £1200 is not worth it in my opinion but I will appreciate advice

Once the meter is in it cannot be removed. It stays with the property. The next occupier will be on a metered supply. You can choose to go back to rateable value within 12 months but the next occupier cannot.

System

Advice from the man himself:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/money-saving-tips/9208457/Martin-Lewis-how-to-cut-your-water-bills.html

Cardew

The average annual consumption per person is 55 cubic metres(m3), so 275m3 for 5 people.


As you say in post#4 that comes to £693 pa with Severn Trent including standing charges. If your surface drainage(gutters etc) enters the sewer system there will be an additional £33/57/81 depending on your type of house Tce/Semi/Det.


Many people seem to use considerably less than 55m3 pa.

HappyMJ

Cardew wrote: »

The average annual consumption per person is 55 cubic metres(m3), so 275m3 for 5 people.


As you say in post#4 that comes to £693 pa with Severn Trent including standing charges. If your surface drainage(gutters etc) enters the sewer system there will be an additional £33/57/81 depending on your type of house Tce/Semi/Det.


Many people seem to use considerably less than 55m3 pa.

I think that average seems to be going down as newer toilets use less water, electric showers use less water, washing machines and dishwashers use less and people especially those on a meter are much more careful about how much water they are using and therefore waste less. When I lived in a house with a garden I used quite a bit of water outside. Now I'm living in a flat there is no outside water usage at all. I calculated that we should use around 80 litres per person per day even with a water wasting power shower (note to self - find how to turn it to economy mode). Which for the two of us is around 29 cubic metres per person per annum. The bill says we used 27 cubic metres from beginning of May to beginning of October.

spiro

As the new occupier the water company are entitled to fit a water meter and you have no right to have it removed. The 1 year rule applies to existing tenants who opt to have a meter.