Water meters

[mnporter2001]

A subject of some contention really.
Whilst a water meter in some circumstances will save you money, the problem you face is you cant have it removed.

Example
My friend who owns his own home had a water meter fitted some years ago, and it saved him lots of money as it was just him.

He then married a women that had 2 teenage children and they all moved into his house, now wife and kids were pretty much living in the bathroom, and his water bill was huge, infact far more than I pay with a similar household but im not on a meter.

So he requests that the meter be removed, and it was refused !

Apparently the Government want every one to eventually have a water meter fitted and once fitted it cant be removed.

Now im unsure if ever water company is like that but his is

Mark

 

[RedAlix]

It sounds right to me. In our area they have been rolling out water meters for years, I don't know anyone who isn't on one now.

If they are spending too much on water then he needs to talk to his family about simple water saving ideas, turning taps off when brushing teeth, shorter showers etc

I'm sure in our area you can apply for special discounts if you have a large family.

 

[The Funky Blue Dog]

It wouldn't help your friend Mark, but in our region Anglian Water has a scheme where if you're not sure whether a water meter would suit your family situation, you can have one installed to see how it goes - but if at any time within the first two years you find you are paying more than you would like, you can switch back to the rateable method (they don't actually remove the meter - they just revert back to the previous billing method).

I think all the water companies have good websites suggesting ways to cut down on your usage. We do waste a hell of a lot of water in the UK

 

[The Funky Blue Dog]

Oh spooky

Water bill has just this minute plopped onto the doormat! It only comes once a year - what are the chances of that!!!

 

[freebiehunter17]

Do you think it would be worth looking into a water meter??
At the minute in south wales I pay £63 a month

There is me, my partner, my 9 year old and my 3 year old.
We DO NOT have a bath - my house has a walk in shower and no tub. We dont water the garden etc the most water weve ever used is filling the paddling pool a few summers back for the baby. We use water for dishes, showers, hand washing and toilet flushing.

 

[stevo871]

If I got a water meter I would really restrict how often my partner has a bath....and not leave the water running to rinse things when doing the washing up.

Recently I had British gas hassling me for a smart gas meter, I eventually answers their call, explained I'm not with them anymore and that I didn't want a smart meter anyway. He explained that it would be a legal requirement by 2017, I said o can wait til then haha. I don't think its fair that these sort of things are forced upon us, I think they are using the 'energy saving' card to spy and collect more data on us. With the smart meters they would be able to work out when we take a bath or a shower, when we go on holiday, everything!

 

[mnporter2001]

Do you think it would be worth looking into a water meter??
At the minute in south wales I pay £63 a month

There is me, my partner, my 9 year old and my 3 year old.
We DO NOT have a bath - my house has a walk in shower and no tub. We dont water the garden etc the most water weve ever used is filling the paddling pool a few summers back for the baby. We use water for dishes, showers, hand washing and toilet flushing.

I would also imagine that you use a washing machine at least once per day having children, I know I do.

It all adds up but then £63 does seem a fair bit to me

 

[Yorkshiremeerkat]

I haven't found from experience that water meters save much money...

 

[Chammy]

I haven't found from experience that water meters save much money...

We save almost £20 a month by having a meter. They wanted to charge us £44 a month, we pay £26 and we are always in credit (currently £15). That is for a family of 3 with 2 toilets, no shower, washing machine on every other day and dishwasher almost every day.

 

[william.gould.355]

We had a water meter fitted as there is just the two of us. The only time we use an excessive amount of water is during a hot dry spell for watering the garden if the water butts are empty. Water butts are VERY useful way of collecting free water!

 

[Hippy11]

I really must do something about this - 2 adults only but one away for half the year and water rates over £600 pa but then I do like my long showers!!