to have a water meter, yes or no?

trinidadone

I received a card from Thames Water "its time to go smart" claiming I could save as much as £200.00 a year. I am the only person at the property, and I live in a two bedroom home with my cat. whats the pitfalls and benefits of the meter, and should I try, or through the booklet in the bin?

housebuyer143

You can go back to unmetered within 6 months I believe if it doesn't work out, so give it a try? 
I don't like meters because I don't want to be thinking how every time I get a drink, turn on the sprinkler etc I am spending money. I probably pay more on unmetered but psychologically I am happier using what I want.

njkmr

We changed to meter in 2007 and trialled it for 6 months I think it was.
Family of four and I think the water bill was based on rateable value of property which had a bill of about £700 at the time. Once meter was fitted we saw an annual bill which was  less then £500 so it may be worth switching to one depending on the rateable value of your property. You do have to watch usage but that's the point I guess.

badmemory

Do Thames Water allow you to go back, I didn't think they did.

Bookworm105

only you know what your lifestyle is like in respect of water usage. You may, for example, shower many times a day and be OCD when it comes to house cleanliness and laundry frequency. Your cat may p and/or be sick all over the place requiring frequent mop ups?

That said, the rule of thumb is pretty good: if there are fewer occupants than bedrooms then you should save money having a water meter as the current  bill is based on rateable value (aka number of bedrooms).

cymruchris

I'd be inclined to go water meter in your position. As above - you have an idea of your water useage - but if it's in line with normal every day consumption - a shower - a few cups of tea or coffee - some cooking - a clothes wash once a week - and a few toilet flushes - you'll probably save some money.

twopenny

I went from a 3 bed house with 3 gardens and didn't get a meter because of using a hose and bath. I was paying a lot.
Now a 2 bed bungalow same ratable value but with a water meter and I'm saving a lot. About a 3rd of what I was paying even using a hose and bath.

I am less wasteful, flush less, turn the tap off while cleaning my teeth and such. No big deal, just new habit.

But had a look at Thames and there is no mention of being able to back out.
Worth ringing them to see if that's the case and are just being pushy.

But yes, you should save quite a bit unless you have a medical condition requiring extra toilet use, half hour showers etc.

I like that I can save when I want to by being careful or indulge myself after a bad day. I'm in control.
But it's still not going to be as expensive as un metered.

LightFlare

We pay £25 a month with a water meter for 2 adults in a 4 bed house. 

2 showers a day, dishwasher used daily, toilet flushes, washing machine every other day and the occasional watering of the plants etc in the garden.

OP how much are you paying now and what do you use water for on a daily basis ? That may help with advice - but I would say swap unless you are filling a swimming pool monthly, running a car wash business at the weekend and/or watering several acres of garden

Bigphil1474

We pay equivalent of £30 a month without a meter in a 3 bed terraced. Thought about a meter but can't see us paying much less as we probably use more water than average. 

Albermarle

Bigphil1474 said:

We pay equivalent of £30 a month without a meter in a 3 bed terraced. Thought about a meter but can't see us paying much less as we probably use more water than average. 

I thought this as there are 4 adults in the house, so many showers, a couple of baths a week, dishwasher and washing machine both on usually twice daily, largish garden etc.
However we are in an area of ' water stress' so the local water company has been 'force fitting' meters. We had the option to stay unmetered for 2 years, but would have to switch after that. For the first and second 6 month periods after the water meter was fitted, they sent us a comparison of our unmetered costs, and what our metered costs would have been.
To my surprise, we would be saving about £100 a year with a metered bill, because despite us thinking we would be high users, we were in fact using less than the average for our size of home.
There are calculators online where you can work out your probable usage. IIRC Thames Water had the most detailed one ( you do not need to be a customer) . Interestingly one of the main water usages was actually flushing the toilets.

Bigphil1474

There's only 2 of us, but we have a bath every day, and quite a bit of water on the garden. Water use tends to shoot up in the summer when we have family come to stay. I did one of the online checks and it appeared to be marginally cheaper to have a meter but I'm not keen on them.