Water Meters.

trackrat · 25 Jul 2011 at 19:32

As the children have now left home, would it be cheaper as there are only 2 of us in the house now, to have a water meter installed.

MeEsH BaKkA · 25 Jul 2011 at 19:34

dont do it. Seriously everyone I have spoke to regrets having one installed.

Why do you think the water companys are keen for you to get them...

burned695 · 25 Jul 2011 at 19:34

Most likely if you don't use a lot, if you use a lot (say you have sprinklers) it might not be

Energize · 25 Jul 2011 at 19:38

Water meters can save so much money, definitely look into it.

wonder_lander · 25 Jul 2011 at 21:14

trackrat said:
As the children have now left home, would it be cheaper as there are only 2 of us in the house now, to have a water meter installed.

How much do you currently pay per month?

We are a couple and pay £26 per month via our water meter.

ste_bla · 25 Jul 2011 at 21:30

Most water companies allow you to have it removed within the first 12 months for free. However after that stuck with it forever and can put people off buying your house in future.

MeEsH BaKkA · 25 Jul 2011 at 22:04

ste_bla said:
can put people off buying your house in future.

This is also true, whilst you might make a small saving the next family to move in probably wont.

Nikumba · 25 Jul 2011 at 23:58

I thought it was a case of now if you dont have a meter and come to sell your house you have to get one fitted?

Just bought a house and it has one, though Anglia Water do two packages one is the normal one where you pay a service hard and per m3 of water, and another where there is no service charge and a increase in the m3, however this is only available if you use less than about 75m3 of water a year.

Kimbie

Rotty · 26 Jul 2011 at 00:51

ste_bla said:
Most water companies allow you to have it removed within the first 12 months for free. However after that stuck with it forever and can put people off buying your house in future.

can't see why, we are on a meter and bills are only about £25 a month

Efour · 26 Jul 2011 at 00:55

For 2 people i think its a no brainer

nutcase · 26 Jul 2011 at 19:38

Definitely cheaper for us to have a meter (1 bed flat 2 people and then 3 bed house).

TRNC · 26 Jul 2011 at 19:40

I've never read so much negative rubbish about water meters.

Firstly unless you are a very careless very heavy water user you will save money.

Secondly they dont put people off buying houses, in fact quite the opposite because water rates are so high a meter is a guarenteed saving.

A.N.Other · 26 Jul 2011 at 19:44

We'd save a tonne of money by being metered, but our buildings have a communal hot water system, so we can't get one. I'm more than a little angry about this.

Rainmaker · 26 Jul 2011 at 19:51

TRNC said:
I've never read so much negative rubbish about water meters.

Firstly unless you are a very careless very heavy water user you will save money.

Secondly they dont put people off buying houses, in fact quite the opposite because water rates are so high a meter is a guarenteed saving.

I wouldn't go that far mate. The capped monthly cost (rateable value) around here is about £23 a month for water. Since we moved down the road to a house with a meter (same size house as the last one) our bills have gone up over £35. We don't have sprinklers, pools or any such luxuries, just the usual washing up and a couple of showers a day.

Bear in mind that the 'trial period' on water meters only means you can revert to rateable value payments. The meter will STAY in place, and become active if you ever move out. They don't remove it.

TRNC · 26 Jul 2011 at 19:58

£23 is very low rates though, you want to try somewhere slightly further south where property isnt so cheap and rates are more than double that.

Also i know what i'm talking about having worked for one of the top water companies in the UK.

vicisthebest · 26 Jul 2011 at 20:01

We've got a water meter on our 2-bed semi (two of us here) - cost us £25 for the first 6 months, then they wrote to us and told us we were so far in credit that they now only take £9 per month and will do for the next year!

Rainmaker · 26 Jul 2011 at 20:04

TRNC said:
£23 is very low rates though, you want to try somewhere slightly further south where property isnt so cheap and rates are more than double that.

Also i know what i'm talking about having worked for one of the top water companies in the UK.

True. Probably also worth mentioning the WaterSure scheme. If you're receiving any kind of benefit and have either 3+ children or anyone in the house has a certain medical condition (including eczema, psoriasis, etc) then you qualify for capped bills regardless of your usage. Hopefully someone will find this info useful.

marin · 26 Jul 2011 at 20:26

Two of us on a water meter - £20.00 a month - 2x Showers every day, dishwasher 3 times a week, flush - 6-8 times per day, water butts for the garden.

Our bill went down by at least 50%.

trackrat · 26 Jul 2011 at 23:22

Thanks to all of you for your answers, I am now looking into having one fitted.

DBT85 · 27 Jul 2011 at 09:17

TRNC said:
Firstly unless you are a very careless very heavy water user you will save money.

Secondly they dont put people off buying houses, in fact quite the opposite because water rates are so high a meter is a guarenteed saving.

1) Most people are careless. Many women prefer baths over showers, many people who shower take forever to do so. It's inherent in a country where water is predominantly flat rate that people use it more than they need to.

2) Yes it does. Are water rates really that high? We pay £300 a year for unlimited water. I can wash the car, water the garden, refill the CH system etc as much as I like. That I don't water the garden or wash my car is only because I can't be bothered. Plenty of people, rightly or wrongly, don't want metered water if they have a family. If it is cheaper then maybe it should be being promoted a bit more. With no idea how much water we use, i have no way of knowing how much it would cost to be on a meter.