[Closed] Water meters

if you use less than average amounts of water.

I guess it'll depend to a certain extent how many people live in your house
There's 7 of us here so I doubt it would work out for me

only 3 of us, normal usage, just moved into a bigger house so the standard rate has nearly doubled.

It will depend on how many live in the house. If you have less people, say 3 in a 4 bedroom house, then yes definitely. It will also make you think about your water usage.

A friend had one fitted and reduced her water bill by 50%.

It did for us, 2 adults 2 kids, but we use showers, don't wash cars or water gardens.

We saved about 20%

My neighbour on the other hand said his went up, but he does spend the weekend playing with a hose pipe in his garden and blasting his cars with his jet wash!

We had an offer from UU to have a meter fitted for free, for a 13 month trial period. They sent us an estimate of what they thought our bills would be (don't know how they knew our usuage!) which showed that we'd save 25% off our bills. They also included a ready reckoner for us to do our own calculation. We worked this out on the generous side, and it showed that we'd be paying only 50% of the non metered cost. So we went with it, and after a year our bills were only 30% of the previous cost. A massive saving so we're well happy. We don't have a tribe of nappy wearing kids, but we don't skimp on water, use washing machine & dish washer when we need to and we have a fish pond that's topped up once a week. We do use a shower rather than a bath, but wash and hose our cars when they are dirty.

See if your water people will let you have a free trial like we did.

We had an offer from UU to have a meter fitted for free, for a 13 month trial period

I think it has that on the back of the water bill, we are with UU so would imagine so, cheers will give them a call.

I have had a water meter for 19yrs, My house was a new build when I brought it and in 1990 EU rules stated water meters should be introduced.
I have friends who are not on water meters, similar size homes with similar occupancies etc.
They are staggered that my water bills are much lower than theirs.
The downside is if a water pipe should burst after the water meter ( this is situated on the public pavement) I may not know it for some time but would be charged the usage..

I seem to remember hearing that some companies would install a meter and then charge whatever was cheapest for you, rates or per litre. The plan being that when you moved out, the next owner would be on a meter without any choice in the matter.

So how much are your bills?

Mine is £19 a month for non-metered use in a 2/3 bed terrace.

The downside is if a water pipe should burst after the water meter ( this is situated on the public pavement) I may not know it for some time but would be charged the usage..

This very thing happened to a customer of mine. Took two days to discover that there was a leak. UU were very good about it, and adjusted his bill back in line with previous usuage.

Legally pipes on the customer's side of the meter are customer's responsibility, but there is some agreement with OFFWAT (I think) where the water companies have agreed to deal with wear and tear damage at no cost to consumer. Not too hot on full details so you'll have to look it up! Don't think it will apply if you take a JCB to the pipes when laying a new patio.

I have a suspicion that there's something up with mine, as we're having to pay loads to wessex water for ours, compared to being on rates at the old house. 😕

So how much are your bills?

shot up to £57/month from £30

So how much are your bills?

Mine is £19 a month for non-metered use in a 2/3 bed terrace.

£23/month for 5 bed semi

given how little you wash and the fact you use your garden as a toilet you will be quids in....or get a water meter and a pipe from Loweys for your water tank?

We are three in a detached house. I save about £300 a year. We are careful with use, and water+sewage bills are <£150 a year.

Water meters are great!

Yes probably. And as said above most will fit for free and give you the choice of staying or not depending on if it's cheaper or not. Saved us loads of cash.

cheers for that johnnie 🙂

I used to pay about £17 unmetered in my old house a 3 bed terrace. Now living in another 3 bed end terrace and on a mter for 2 of us it works out at £57 per month........... 😯

mastiles_fanylion - Member

So how much are your bills?

Mine is £19 a month for non-metered use in a 2/3 bed terrace.

I was non metered and was paying that and then moved to a house with a meter who estimated my charge at £40 a month or i could pay every 6 months on actual meter readings. guess which one i plumped for! this was wessex water btw.

We went from about £40 a month to about £45 a quarter after the meter was installed, but then I never wash my car and do shower and there are only 2 of us.

Yoshimi: "2 of us it works out at £57 per month..........." !! You've got a leak then, or you are pouring it down the drain.

Yoshimi that is very high! Ours is £20 a month.

We had a meter fitted and reduced our monthly bill from £35 to £16.

You about double the cost of the water supplied because they assume it's 100% waste, and sewage costs per M^3 are about the same. About £1 per M^3 for the water alone, £2 including sewage. So Yoshimi is using about 1 tonne of water every day 😮

We ar just moving from a 2 bed terrace to a 3 bed semi and the water rates are double! We're defo going to a meter.

I could be wrong but if you move to a meter the company have to give you a limited period to say whether you are happy on meter or want to move back to standard rates.

17 cubic metres a month usage here. Works out about £50 a month 😮

Our total water bill last year (including waste water) was £1600 based on the rateable value of the property (rented).

The previous year, in our water-meter fitted place in London, we paid £300 quid.

Water meter has now been installed at the new place after the landlord gave us the go ahead. I'm expecting at least a 75% saving, but I'm fuming at the sheer wrongness of the rateable value system of estimating water usage.

I just checked, I pay £30 mth, and I am in credit so really I should drop the payments to suit.
If I could get my Mrs to stop putting 2-3 loads a day into our washer then it prob drop even more.
I jetwash my car at a local petrol station most times,(perhaps 3 times a yr-grrrr) perhaps if I stop hosing down my bike ?
ChatsworthMusters; thanks for the feedback about the broken pipe.

I've already checked for leaks - i.e. checking the reading before work, then checking it after work and they match, so no leaks. Dishwasher used 3 times per week, washing machine about 3 times per week, give the bike a blast over now and again, dont water the garden. We only have a power shower and we both have 2 showers per day so reckon thats where a lot of it goes.

yoshimi,
Have you had the water meter checked ?
alternatively, have you asked your neighbours how much they pay ?
seems very steep to me..

Power showers are dreadful for water usage.

neverfast - asked one of our neighbours, they have a little kid as well but reckons its about £45 - asked another and told it was £30 but he then went on to say that he only showers every couple of days. Been on to UU who say that its working ok so just accepting it at the moment. Foe a while I was convinced it mustn't be working right and even now I cant get my head round how much it costs but not sure what to do about it so acceptance has set in.

Unmetered here just round the corner from Wors and I pay £39 per month, 3 bed semi.

I'm sticking to unmetered as we have 2 kids, dishwasher every night, washing machine sometimes twice a day, power shower and the girls all like their baths.

Staggering how much it has gone up though in the last few years. It was only £22 a few years ago.

Yoshimi.. "power shower and we both have 2 showers per day so reckon thats where a lot of it goes. "..

20 Litres a minute for a sillypower shower.. 15..20 minutes each = 600/800 litres/day just for your showers. Cost of your showers is about £35..£40 per month and that's just for the water alone. Usually the gas/electricity is a similar on top. You stay clean but it sure costs you!.

It's much greener to be more grubby and happy that way!

I've tried showering less, remember as a kid I had one bath per week and that worked ok - just nowadays I feel like I need a shower to get going in the morning and at night when I've finished doing jobs etc had tea, I want one again before I crash in my comfies - been meaning to look at getting an electric shower in the other bathroom, but on my endless list of things to do I've just not got round to it