water meters

[ethandron]

has anyone had a water meter fitted and wished they hadn't? or anyone think they're wonderful and have saved loads of money? we're considering having one but want to find out as much as we can before we commit ourselves. opinions, both for and against, would be welcomed.

[mrs.chappie]

We made a big saving by switching to a meter. There are usually only two of us in the house though, and we favour showers over baths.

[Jugglering]

I changed over to a water meter and now pay less than a third of what I used to do ! Mind, there is only one of me here (plus two felines who don't really do showers....lol). You can go for a water meter and change back to unmetered water if you let the company know within a certain period of time (I think it's something like 12 months but don't quote me on that). If you go on line to this site, it will be able to check for you whether you will actually save money or not.

http://www.uswitch.com/Water/Why-Switch.html

I did this and it appeared I would save at least half of what I was currently paying. I then applied for a water meter and went through some similar checks with a lovely lady from my local water company who confirmed that I should save at least half what I was currently paying - as it turns out I now actually save two thirds, so I am a very happy water meter user !

They fitted the meter just above the stop valve in the street so no internal alterations were required. A totally painless way to save money.

[mrs.chappie]

Juggs, you are correct, you have 12 months in which to change your mind about the meter.

I have just made enquiries for my brother, he lives alone and I think he'll make a big saving on his bill, even though he gets a bath every day.

[chas2008]

had a meter fitted over 15 years ago....saved a fortune...4 bed house 2 bathrooms and still water the garden, although it does make you think a bit more about wasting water.
im paying less than half .the scaremongers out there will have you believe once the meter is fitted prices will go up! thats never happened

[bigmamma]

I have a water meter ethandron , I asked for one and have a much lower water bill when there's only myself in the house . xxx

[chrisrob]

When living by myself, I thought it unfair I was paying same rate as my neighbours who had a large family. I had a meter fitted and my bills ended up as just 10% of what I had been paying.

[Brooksy]

2 years ago I was paying �440 pa under the old rateable value system.There are 3 of us & a decent veggie patch & lawn which I water with a hose when my 5 water butts empty in a dry spell. I`ve paid �240 & �250 pa with the meter fitted, saving me almost �400, so I`m a fan!

[ethandron]

well, thanks everyone. we filled in the online form to estimate how much we would save with a meter and they reckon about �80 a year, which doesn't seem very much compared to some of you. i think maybe we'll mull it over a bit longer before we decide one way or another, or perhaps even wait until they become compulsary.

[terence7556]

we echo all the comments above and saved loads.so why not try it now when you have a choice, all you will do is save money, and i think more than you were quoted
before we did it the advice from the water company was, more bedrooms than adults, fit a meter to save money and they were right, we halved our bills

[Buenchico]

It's so long since I switched to a water meter that I can't give you any comparisons between the 'old' and 'new' figures. However, I can tell you that my recent 6-monthly bill (for my little one bedroom 'starter home', with no washing machine or dishwasher) was for just �33.31. I've little doubt that a bill under the 'old' system would have been for far more than that!

Chris

[mrs.chappie]

Cor blimey Chris! And I thought my bills were low!

[theonlyone]

Go for a meter if you don't have
have a large family but for 2 people
i'ts a lot cheaper ..but check with
your water co .

[Brooksy]

I don`t think many people realise that nearly half their bill is for getting rid of their waste water.

[Twenty20]

so, does the water meter charges that people are quoting include sewerage costs etc or just the water used?

[Buenchico]

The figure I quoted was the total bill, for both water and sewerage charges.

[Jugglering]

As most of your water used is assumed to go into the mains (aka foul) sewer (I think the Water Companies assume something like 90-95%, but don't quote me on that percentage), then the charges from your Water Company for water usage include dealing with the discharge. However, if you have a cess pit (which you pay to get emptied) or a septic tank (which partially/totally treats the discharge) then you can get a reduction because you are not discharging into the foul system.