£40 a month for water bill?!?!

Lyndsay_21

i emailed my local water company about having a meter fitted.. They said someone would be round to view the property then one saturday morning just before i was about to go out a man rang said he was from the water company could he look round the property (we live in a flat) i explanined i was on my way out (was already late as it was) and he said ok i'll just have a look outside.
Than that was it have heard nothing since.....

SALTY69

Had a meter installed last year, it is great and we don,t use all that much due to having no kids around and only a very small garden etc etc. But they still tried to put me up to £56 a month which is crazy as my whoe bill for the year is less than £200 with using a meter so i am going to pay when the bill comes in now.

Cardew

uncle_buck wrote:

Philanthropic gesture ….quite the contrary …water meters are in place to make money…maybe not at this very moment… but soon…just wait & see!

The bigger picture:
Water meters are in place to make money…maybe not at this very moment… but soon…just wait & see!

I really fail to understand the point you are making in this, and other, threads about water meters.

These are facts:

1. Many people(not all) will save considerable sums by having a meter instead of charges being based on their rateable value. In my case over £700pa.

2. The water supply companies are regulated and have to justify any increase in charges.

I am no fan of any of these companies. Like any commercial organisation they are intent on maximising their profits and voting in huge financial packages for their directors. If they were allowed to exploit their monopoly position by the Government they would be even worse.

So exactly what point are you trying to make? Just wait and see - what?

Penny-Pincher!!

Gosh....that seems alot!! We must be lucky-live in Thames water area but are in a HA property-2 bed semi and our water is £3.96pw but we are not on a meter. There is 3 of us and we have baths/showers etc daily and run WM and DW.

PP
xx

uncle_buck_3

Cardew wrote:

I really fail to understand the point you are making in this, and other, threads about water meters.

These are facts:

1. Many people(not all) will save considerable sums by having a meter instead of charges being based on their rateable value. In my case over £700pa.

2. The water supply companies are regulated and have to justify any increase in charges.

I am no fan of any of these companies. Like any commercial organisation they are intent on maximising their profits and voting in huge financial packages for their directors. If they were allowed to exploit their monopoly position by the Government they would be even worse.

So exactly what point are you trying to make? Just wait and see - what?

If the water companies start getting in less money because of all of the people with meters paying less in bills, where do you think the short fall is going to come from?

Cardew

uncle_buck wrote:

If the water companies start getting in less money because of all of the people with meters paying less in bills, where do you think the short fall is going to come from?

Well it is hardly rocket science to work out that if their income falls because people switch to meters, that overall charges will rise.

That still doesn’t explain why you seem to be running a campaign against meters.

So what are you advocating?

That people should remain on RV based charges to ensure that those of us on meters do not have an increase in charges?

uncle_buck_3

Cardew wrote:

That still doesn’t explain why you seem to be running a campaign against meters.

I’m not ruining a campaign against meters, I just personally think that the whole concept of water meters is wrong.

…I believe that we should all pay a token amount for the upkeep of the system etc., …& I think that the Water company’s should not be allowed to operate on a profit-making scheme …(but how many MP’s have big shares in the Water company’s?)

….I think that the rest of the taxes that we already pay in this country should at least cover some fresh water…don’t you?

….After all we are a rich country & we have enough money in this country to support all of the asylum seekers that flock here each year!

…I think the least the Government could do would be to supply Fresh Water at cost to it’s citizens!

Cardew wrote:

So what are you advocating?
That people should remain on RV based charges to ensure that those of us on meters do not have an increase in charges?

Not at all…. What I ‘m saying is that at the moment people are being made to think that they will be saving money by switching to a water meter…& in some cases including myself – (compulsory meter) we are….But for how long?

….it’s only a matter of time before the price of metered water starts to rise…. It’s as though the Government is allowing the RV charge to rise to encourage people onto water meters because of the savings …just to hit them in a year or two’s time!

....No they wouldn’t do that would they …because the Government if fair

….Yeah Right!

UB

Cardew

uncle_buck wrote:

I’m not ruining a campaign against meters, I just personally think that the whole concept of water meters is wrong.

…I believe that we should all pay a token amount for the upkeep of the system etc., …& I think that the Water company’s should not be allowed to operate on a profit-making scheme …(but how many MP’s have big shares in the Water company’s?)

….I think that the rest of the taxes that we already pay in this country should at least cover some fresh water…don’t you?

….After all we are a rich country & we have enough money in this country to support all of the asylum seekers that flock here each year!

…I think the least the Government could do would be to supply Fresh Water at cost to it’s citizens!

Not at all…. What I ‘m saying is that at the moment people are being made to think that they will be saving money by switching to a water meter…& in some cases including myself – (compulsory meter) we are….But for how long?

….it’s only a matter of time before the price of metered water starts to rise…. It’s as though the Government is allowing the RV charge to rise to encourage people onto water meters because of the savings …just to hit them in a year or two’s time!

....No they wouldn’t do that would they …because the Government if fair

….Yeah Right!

UB

I don’t think this is the thread for anti-government rhetoric or debating if utilities should be have been privatised or not. Except to say that all political parties seem to agree that privatisation has been successful in driving down running costs(despite profits to shareholders) and preventing workers in key industries holding the country to ransom.

The only way the government could pay for the supply of water from taxes would be to cut expenditure in another areas, or increase taxes.

If some consumers elect to pay less by having meters installed it is obvious that the rest of us will see a commensurate rise in our charges.

However given we must pay for water, it is surely fairer that charges are based on consumption. In fact I think there is an argument that meters should be compulsory for all households.

Why should we subsidise those with high water consumption because they live in a house where charges are based on a defunct Rateable Value. Bear in mind that a low RV does not necessarily mean low Council Tax Band. My neighbour for instance has a huge Victorian house that had a very low RV but is now Band H. He has hordes of students/lodgers staying all year and you might very well guess how his water charges are assessed – not that I blame him.

Slinky

However given we must pay for water, it is surely fairer that charges are based on consumption.

Totally agree! Can't see why people have a problem with paying for water like this - would you want to pay for gas and electric on some spurious RV figure rather than the amount you actually use? I've saved literally thousands in the past 10 years by having a meter rather than RV for many years as a single person living in a high RV house. I even paid to have my meter put in, I knew it made sense.

uncle_buck_3

Cardew wrote:

and preventing workers in key industries holding the country to ransom.

Thatcher done a good job didn’t she!

Cardew wrote:

The only way the government could pay for the supply of water from taxes would be to cut expenditure in another areas, or increase taxes.

Well yes cut expenditure in another areas …start with the millions that is spooned out in foreign aid each year & stop keeping all of the asylum seekers!
Neither wonder the Government of this Country treat us like Monkeys…They can do what they like & we stand for it & even justify it to others like you are doing.

I’m board with this now so I’ll just concede to keep you happy…..Water Meters are great & will save you loads of money (for now!)