Unmetered water when bans kick in

Merlin139

I am trying to figure out if this post is for real?

So you are paying £50 a month extra for the privilege of using a hosepipe. With an upcoming ban on hosepipes you will lose that privilege that you pay for.

With Yorkshire Water taking into account cost of the water and the cost of sewage for 95% of used water expected to go back through the drains I could use around 15.5 Cubic Meters of water for your £50 per month.

Would you be watering your garden 12 months of the year? I doubt it. 

This would mean you have 186 Cubic Meters of water you can use for your £600 per year extra. 

You say your happier with fixed cost. Get a meter and monitor what you use. We pay a set amount per month and have for the last 20 years in the same house. (New build meter fitted) In that time its gone from £15 per month to £28 now.

We don't waste water but we don't bother using a hosepipe. Grass does not need to be green. Any plants we need to water we use our 3 water butts that hold 720 litres of rainwater.  

Brie

Merlin139 said:

We don't waste water but we don't bother using a hosepipe. Grass does not need to be green. Any plants we need to water we use our 3 water butts that hold 720 litres of rainwater.  

We don't waste water but we do use a hosepipe as our 3 water butts are completely drained.  I'm refilling them from the hose in anticipation of a ban.

Which leads me to a question (apologies for the hijack).....how does one know there is a ban? 

I've heard a few things about it on the radio news but nothing about our area.  But occasionally you'll hear "something will be announced on Monday" or similar.  Well if it's announced how will I know?  If I'm not listening to the radio, not watching news on tv, not getting a local or national paper IRL or online how would I be told?  I don't think either the local council or the water companies have my email address.  But even if they did there's no guarantee that the household I live with would know I had been notified, assuming I was, that I saw it, that I wasn't off on holiday.  The only sure way would be to do something through the post.

Mister_G

In Hampshire, Southern Water mailshotted everyone.

savers_united

Merlin139 said:

I am trying to figure out if this post is for real?

So you are paying £50 a month extra for the privilege of using a hosepipe. With an upcoming ban on hosepipes you will lose that privilege that you pay for.

With Yorkshire Water taking into account cost of the water and the cost of sewage for 95% of used water expected to go back through the drains I could use around 15.5 Cubic Meters of water for your £50 per month.

Would you be watering your garden 12 months of the year? I doubt it. 

This would mean you have 186 Cubic Meters of water you can use for your £600 per year extra. 

You say your happier with fixed cost. Get a meter and monitor what you use. We pay a set amount per month and have for the last 20 years in the same house. (New build meter fitted) In that time its gone from £15 per month to £28 now.

We don't waste water but we don't bother using a hosepipe. Grass does not need to be green. Any plants we need to water we use our 3 water butts that hold 720 litres of rainwater.  

From my calculations I am using around £600 per annum worth of water / Sewage, but currently unmetered paying £960, with a couple of months not using a hosepipe In summer months I reckon its more like £450 per year. So I will have change things around and get a few water butts but savings will more than compensate

Its funny I always told to stay clear of a meter as it will cost more (people have seen my gardens) and there are a few occasions when we fill a kids pool, but due to a high RV I may actually be better off metered.

Anyhow it was something I was looking into and going to arrange as the meter can be installed for 2 years before it becomes non removable. This hosepipe ban and no reduction in my charges as a result means I will be switching to a meter, first contact made with my water supplier today, just waiting for an installation date to be confirmed.

I just find it odd that those who are forced not to use something that they are paying for get no rebate, its like being told you cannot drive a car on the road for 3 months between certain hours or cannot use the motorways but your still expected to pay a full years RFL.

Cardew

savers_united said:

I just find it odd that those who are forced not to use something that they are paying for get no rebate, its like being told you cannot drive a car on the road for 3 months between certain hours or cannot use the motorways but your still expected to pay a full years RFL.

You still haven't said how you feel this rebate should be given and to whom.

Should water companies conduct a survey of the approx 10 million properties on a meter to determine the size of their rebate.

Different areas will have different lengths of a hosepipe ban.

Water companies could have some properties in an area with a hosepipe ban, other properties won't have a ban.

 

Chrysalis

Swipe said:

It's up to the OP if they'd prefer not to save £40-50 a month by having a meter

Savings arent that high I think.

I booked one earlier in the year, I then used a predictor and did some maths, and I think for me was about £5-15 month saving in a ideal situation.  However about a couple of weeks before the visit I noticed a water leak which made me realised I would be vulnerable to costs for any leaks, realising my toilet currently leaks and I have had 3 major leaks in the past 2 years so cancelled.  Also preferring baths to showers was a factor.

AmberDepp

Cardew said:

savers_united said:

 

The hosepipe ban is not driven by financial pressure, but the need to save the increasing scarce resource - namely water.

Using your reasoning, would you suggest those paying unmetered charges and living in a flat(and presumably not having a hosepipe) should also have a  reduction?

That is a different argument as a flat would have a much lower rate as unmetered charges are based on RV. 

That simply isn't the case.

The Rateable Value(RV) was based on the notional rent a property could command prior to 1990 and I can assure you that the RV for flats was often higher than comparable houses as they could command a higher rent.

However even if that were the case, what action do you suggest water companies should take? Inspect every property to decide on the reduction in charges? Give a blanket reduction?

The obvious answer is to make metering mandatory.

This is probably true.

Lived in a 1-bedroom flat, shower only and paid approximately £20 per month on water on a meter.

Moved to a 2 bedroom terrace house nearby on RV and paying £17.55 per month.  I know what I'd rather choose.  Plus if I can afford it I can have a bath, God only knows what that would cost in water in a meter.

Cardew

AmberDepp said:

This is probably true.

Lived in a 1-bedroom flat, shower only and paid approximately £20 per month on water on a meter.

Moved to a 2 bedroom terrace house nearby on RV and paying £17.55 per month.  I know what I'd rather choose.  Plus if I can afford it I can have a bath, God only knows what that would cost in water in a meter.

https://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/media/1539/waterusehome.pdf

Bathing and showering
• A full bath uses up to 80 litres of water whereas a five minute power shower
uses about 75 litres. So, provided you don’t take too long under the shower,

water can still be saved.

• A five minute normal shower saves the most water, only using about 45 litres
and so saves up to 35 litres when compared to a full bath. Remember, running
the shower before you step in also wastes a lot of water and energy. In addition,
fitting an aerated showerhead or flow restrictor will reduce flow while keeping

the pressure steady. (Further information towards the back of this booklet

Taking an average price of £3 a cubic metre(1000 litres) for water and sewerage an 80 litre bath would cost approx  24p - a  saving of 12p over the cost of an average shower.

savers_united

Cardew said:

savers_united said:

I just find it odd that those who are forced not to use something that they are paying for get no rebate, its like being told you cannot drive a car on the road for 3 months between certain hours or cannot use the motorways but your still expected to pay a full years RFL.

You still haven't said how you feel this rebate should be given and to whom.

Should water companies conduct a survey of the approx 10 million properties on a meter to determine the size of their rebate.

Different areas will have different lengths of a hosepipe ban.

Water companies could have some properties in an area with a hosepipe ban, other properties won't have a ban.

 

Well having spoken to my water supplier on Friday the lady was at least able to tell me that at £80 a month I would be saving on a meter, she said it was a high RV, after I explained my situation and the majority of my water use is for the gardens she could understand my frustrations.

With regards a rebate, then I would go down the route of average meter charges for the area, this should be fairly easy to pull from the billing system based in postal codes. Pull the unmetered charges from the billing system, and those who are unmetered but paying more than average on a meter should get some rebate. It's still not going to cover the restricted use but at least puts someone who is unmetered for this restricted period on par with average meter charges but at the same time does not rebate those who already pay less unmetered compared to average meter charges. 

pochase

Why would you think they would want to do that?

They can argument that with unmetered supply you are not punished for very high use, but you are also not rewarded if you use less than usual.

With the hot days we had already this year you for sure used more water than in a cool and rainy summer. Do you think it would be right if they add a hot weather penalty to your bill?