Water meter megathread

[hamltd 10]

Hiya,

 

I work in the water industry ( for thames water but policy is the same for all providers).

 

What you need to consider when thinking about a meter is how do you use the water at the moment and how are you likley to use it in future. I have a 4 bed detached that is full to bursting with kids that keep leaving home and comeing back and love my meter.

If your kids are small they may prefer to have a bath. cost 25p. if they are older they may prefer a shower. cost 5p. power shower 20p.What is the rateing on your washer. cost varies 15p to 30p per load. Do you have a dishwasher? turn on once rather than 3 10 litre bowls for the pots. Boyfreinds/Girlfriends staying over.... extra water..... paddling pools... about £1.50 to fill.....

 

The policy is you can request a meter.... if it costs you more you can revert back, however if you move the next occupier will have no choice but to pay on the meter. Also if you have a leak you are resposible for the water that is lost..although most water providers will reach a compromise.

 

Hope this has made things a little easier for you to reach an informed decision.

[muddycoffee 10]

I'm thinking about this too as I could be saving as much as £5 per week...

 

Is there an installation fee ?

Do they charge more if they find problems such as Lead pipes or anything like that ?

[cazza 10]

I tried to get one fitted for my 93yr old aunt she lives in a 2 bed semi when they came they said it could not be fitted to lead pipes,they came back to connect to the outside but found they could not do that either because the other semi and hers are joint water supply ,so not every house is suitable for a meter.

[PRclaim 10]

I just want to make a small point about water meters.

 

I know that the OP is asking if they personally would benefit, and it's fair enough to want to do what's best for yourself. I'm not having a go at you or anyone, but I think peaople are being hugely naive about water meters if they think they will ultimately save money.

 

Water is free, almost. The chap who works in the industry may wish to correct me but I think it costs Yorkshire Water about the same to fill up a glass or a swimming pool. What does cost money is treatment, storage, pipe maintenance, personnel etc. These are largely fixed costs.

 

Let's say Yorkshire Water needs £80m a year to run, and they want to make a profit of £20m. Under the rates system that £100m gets divided between the rate payers. Now imagine everyone has a meter and YW charges you a penny a litre, they need to 'sell' 100 000 000 00 litres. If the good people of Yorkshire start saving their water and making sacrifices to save money so much that they only buy half that amount - the price will double

 

To answer your question, purely in terms of how much it costs you now, of course you should get a meter. The price of metered water is being kept artificially low and being subsidised by ratepayers, it will continue to be this way up until the point that it needs to change. Just be aware that at that point you will start to pay more per litre and, the truly sick part, the more everyone saves, the higher the price will go.

Edited January 20, 2010 by PRclaim

[PRclaim 10]

What I´m saying is that the water company has certain fixed costs (staff, infrastructure, vehicles, building maintenance etc) these do not change if we use less water and they need to be covered, along with a legally allowed profit.

 

As you say ratepayers pay more right now so if they switch to meters they will pay (and the water company will receive) less money. If we all have meters and use less water then the price will go up, it will keep going up until the above is covered. As use decreases so unit cost will have to rise, currently Yorkshire water sells water at 0.2pence per litre, can I imagine a world in 10 years where they sell it at 15 pence a litre, a rise of just 7500% , yes absolutely - they´d tell you it was a bargain.

[PESKY6969 10]

not one to be concerned with bills just found out paying nearly £63 a month water bill. would it be cheaper to change to a meter. do not use bath only shower 3 bed house 5 persons

[Hetty 12]

I am in a three bed house, but alone. I pay £18 per month. I think you would be a bit better off by going on a meter. I think you can have a meter, and after a year if you don't get on with it, change back. It does make you more aware about how much water you waste e.g. leaving the tap running when cleaning your teeth, standing under the shower for 'hours' etc.

[rubydazzler 11]

Ring your water provider and they'll ask you a few questions and estimate your water usage.

 

Unless you use an excessive amount of water, most people find they're better off on a meter.

[denise2436 10]

Dont use the water companys Water/Money calculator.

I did this for my Mother who lives alone in a two bed house.

This informed me that she would be over £400 worse off a year?

 

I am swaying towards a meter after speaking with loads of people who have them; they live in houses with up to 5 bedrooms all of whom say they are better off, or no worse off.

 

I think you can try for a year and if you dont like it they take the meter out, Not 100% sure on this yet though.

 

Denise

[denise2436 10]

Sorry we must have been typing at the same time

[dell12 10]

Your water bill, if you don't have a meter is estimated by the number of bedrooms in your house. In general if you have fewer people than bedrooms it's certainly worth getting a meter fitted.

[Ms Macbeth 72]

Your water bill, if you don't have a meter is estimated by the number of bedrooms in your house. In general if you have fewer people than bedrooms it's certainly worth getting a meter fitted.

 

Not quite - properties built before 1990 that don't have meters get bills based on their rateable value. Most properties built after 1990 had water meters installed when they were being built. http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/faq/watercompanieschargesfaqs/prs_faq_watchargcalc

 

If one or two people live in a large, expensive house, it makes sense to have a meter installed. However, for a large family in a smaller house, or one with a low rateable value (perhaps band A council tax) it could be cheaper to stick with water rates.