Once a certain percentage have water meters do you think

horsewithnoname

booneruk

Inflation is a thing, prices will generally trend upwards over time. 

I'm not sure what this poll is getting at.

MattMattMattUK

The price of water will continue to go up firstly because of inflation, secondly because our water and sewerage system needs huge investment just to catch up with where it should be and thirdly because population growth and climate change will put huge pressure on the system in the coming years.

Water meters have nothing to do with that directly, but they do help make the system fairer and they do make people less wasteful with their water usage. 

booneruk

MattMattMattUK said:

The price of water will continue to go up firstly because of inflation, secondly because our water and sewerage system needs huge investment just to catch up with where it should be and thirdly because population growth and climate change will put huge pressure on the system in the coming years.

Water meters have nothing to do with that directly, but they do help make the system fairer and they do make people less wasteful with their water usage. 

Indeed. If the question was "Will water bills go up in terms of % of average earnings", then yes, I believe they will and need to, due to said issues with sewerage/increased rainfall/population growth. We need to pay a bit more.

I switched to a meter earlier this year, it's reduced my monthly spend from £35 to ~£22. It's fairer to me as a sole occupier.

horsewithnoname

booneruk said:

Inflation is a thing, prices will generally trend upwards over time. 

I'm not sure what this poll is getting at.

That once most people pay for water rather than pay for water to be delivered to their home in a potable condition (usually) will the water companies ramp up the price like with power?

those who think water should be paid for - if there was a way to have to pay for air, would you agree that air should be paid for?

booneruk

Energy companies don't ramp up the price of power, it trends with the global market, although we can do things to save money, such as fixing at an opportune moment (luck) or leaning on smart meters to deliver much better rates at certain times (guile).

We definitely need to pay for water, and even if everything was nationalised, we'd still pay through tax. Improvements to the system are most definitely needed (see above).

You could, of course, go off grid and provide yourself your own power (solar panels), although that would be problematic when the sun doesn't shine or your needs outstrip your capacity. It's the same with water, you could dig a well but you'd likely have concerns about nasties. You'd also need something like an open cesspit. It's not very practical.

I'm not sure how air would be metered etc, but we do need better air! (The end of fossil fuel burning etc). Part of our power bills are a contribution toward that cause.

DE_612183

you don't need an infrastructure to supply air - but you do for water so they are not comparable.

I think the interesting point will be that if the majority of customers see a drop in bills because of water meters, then the prices will have to increase to maintain water companies income.

Of course the revers could be true as well, but if people pay more by having a meter I don't think they'd be happy.

bluelad1927

horsewithnoname said:

those who think water should be paid for - if there was a way to have to pay for air, would you agree that air should be paid for?

That's just not a comparison. Water is delivered to your door, without restriction and clean. It is also taken away once you've used it.

If you would prefer to travel 5 miles for a few litres of untreated water every day then feel free to cancel payment switch your supply off and go fill your milk cartons at the river.....oh and good luck disposing of your sewerage

MattMattMattUK

horsewithnoname said:

booneruk said:

Inflation is a thing, prices will generally trend upwards over time. 

I'm not sure what this poll is getting at.

That once most people pay for water rather than pay for water to be delivered to their home in a potable condition (usually) will the water companies ramp up the price like with power?

That does not happy with water or power. 

horsewithnoname said:

those who think water should be paid for - if there was a way to have to pay for air, would you agree that air should be paid for?

That depends, would the system you envision require a company/government to operate a system of purification, storage, distribution, reprocessing after usage? If so then yes as that needs to be paid for, if they were just going to send people a bill for air breathed generally then no, as that company would have incurred no costs. 

horsewithnoname

bluelad1927 said:

horsewithnoname said:

those who think water should be paid for - if there was a way to have to pay for air, would you agree that air should be paid for?

That's just not a comparison. Water is delivered to your door, without restriction and clean. It is also taken away once you've used it.

If you would prefer to travel 5 miles for a few litres of untreated water every day then feel free to cancel payment switch your supply off and go fill your milk cartons at the river.....oh and good luck disposing of your sewerage

Quite happy to pay my water rates for the convenience of not having to go to the river, but I find actually paying for water wrong (other opinions are available) and I said ‘ If there was a way that air could be charged for’

DE_612183

It's not really paying for water itself - it's paying for the infrastructure and processing of the water - the only way to measure the amount of processing is to count how much come in...