Water meter

magpies79

So I’ve finally decided well from strong advice from the wife to get a water meter installed as she asked how much is our water bill told her I we pay £580 a year 2 bed semi 2 Adults 2 kids.

 I’m worried we are going to regret this I’d say our water usage isn’t that high don't water any plants as garden is very simple lay out I’m paying around £54 a month when she put in what our usage was like it estimated we’d be paying around £30 a month but what happens if there’s a leak im guessing we would now be charged for that water used think that’s where my worries are lol.

And I have a smart meter for gas/electric are water maters run similar or do I have to take the readings 
thanks Stephen 

Slinky

You can get leak insurance if that's a concern. Our water company promote it at £1 a month for the first year.

Normal recommendation is if there are more bedrooms than people in your house, you're likely to save money going onto a meter. You are 4 people in a 2 bed so it may not work as well for you. How old are your children? Lots of daily baths or long showers?

We are 2 adults and pay £31 a month on a meter.

magpies79

Kids are 10 and 12 they only take showers and they aren’t in long hard enough to get them to take a shower at all lol I shower at work after a shift so don’t really shower at home i work nights so I’m either a sleep most of the day or at work at night.

Robin9

It's a no-brainer - go for that meter.     You have 12 months to change your mind.

Add the water meter to your monthly reads of gas and electric -  then you will see any trends that might indicate a leak.

magpies79

Yeah going to go for it it’s due to be fitted Friday so guess we will see I’m paying for my water monthly by direct debit so what happens to that once my meter is Installed 

brook_heather

Once installed if you get hourly reads from the smart meter then you can check you don't have a leak as there should be no usage recorded when you're all out of the house or asleep and no-one uses the loo or washing applieances.

400ixl

The water company also do leak detection analytics on those water readings as well. If for example there is aways a water flow 24/7 then it is highly likely there is a leak between the meter and the property or in the property.

Hoenir

Sooner or later you are likely to have a water meter installed. Might as well be proactive. Had one for over 30 years now in every property I've lived in. Zero regrets. 

tealady

I have a water meter. It is read remotely by the water company, never looked at it myself!
There are loads of sneaky ways to save water from "hippo" bricks in the loo, showering with friends tocollecting cold "run off" when turning on the hot tap. 
I knew someone who had the "rule of two" for the loo, they flushed after 2 number ones or 1 number 2. 

magpies79

So water meter fitted today great timing after a night shift lol had about 3 hours sleep but guess now we see how it goes.

 I do hope we save!!! today being a typical day I was at work until 6am then slept til well 1pm ish kids are school all day and wife at work so nothing is getting used so unless they start turning on taps and leaving then for 2 hrs hopefully see a difference is the bill.

one question I pay direct debit every month on the 15th I think £56 so what happens do I just keep that direct debit in place still? I’ve had no instructions on that side of things with regards to billing 

wild666

I had a water meter installed in May 2019, there's only me living at the property so I figured it would be cheaper than paying £430 per year. They estimated my first years usage Inc. SC's at £192, it was just £118, £74 less than they estimated. Over the years it's gone from £9 to a low of £5 but this year it's £11 per month, £132 per year.
If you don't leave taps running or take long showers, turning the shower off when applying shampoo or lathering the body then you use less water. 
A flat I rented from May 2008 to Dec. 2010 had a water meter and my total usage including SC's was a little over £200.