Should i ask for a water meter,or should i pay £17.35 a month?

[GetAGrip]

I'm on a meter and pay the dear old South West Water £73.50 a month and no we're not running a B&B! We live in a small(ish) 3 bedroom house but we in the South West pay the most for our water in the country ... I think.

 

[accountantpete]

£10-15 a month here with meter - short shower, toilet and garden hose.

Just make sure you don't accidentally leave the tap running when you go on hols.

 

[mjr]

Good job you don't live on the coast in the south west Accy ,our bills are horrendous, apparently we have to pay for monitoring the quality of the seawater for the holidaymakers benefit.

because it's not like any significant part of the local economy depends on holidaymakers visiting. I used to hear similar grumbling when I lived on the Somerset coast. Look, you moved to/stayed in a tourism-dependent area, so you pay some taxes for tourist services, but as a fringe benefit, you get a nicer, better-kept place to live too.

As for the OP, I like the idea of metering to discourage waste but in practice, once it's fitted, later residents can't go back and there's no choice in water supply so they've got people over a barrel (water butt?), so I'd stay rated if possible.

 

[Paulus]

I'm on a meter and pay the dear old South West Water £73.50 a month and no we're not running a B&B! We live in a small(ish) 3 bedroom house but we in the South West pay the most for our water in the country ... I think.

Blimey, I live in a similar house to yours and my monthly (10) bill is £43.
My son who lives on his own had a meter fitted a couple of months back and his bill has gone down by £12 per month.

 

[gaijintendo]

I was billed by my water suppliers for £23.75 a month. I contacted them after hearing i could have a meter fitted, as i live alone and thought it'd be cheaper. They re-estimated the bill to £17.35. I use a sink full of water a day to wash up. I have a 10 minute shower a day. I use a washbasin full every two days to shave, and i flush the toilet about 4 times a day. Yes or no?

Edit... and not forgetting the 4 or 5 mugs of tea or coffee i have everyday,which must be about a full kettle full if that.

Do you boil spuds? Wash your clothes? Water plants? Use a hose to clean the bike? Make ice cubes? Have Pot Noodle wet?
@slowmotion probably has the only reasonable way to estimate. It would also be cool to see how discrepant the water board meters are...

 

[matiz]

because it's not like any significant part of the local economy depends on holidaymakers visiting. I used to hear similar grumbling when I lived on the Somerset coast. Look, you moved to/stayed in a tourism-dependent area, so you pay some taxes for tourist services, but as a fringe benefit, you get a nicer, better-kept place to live too.

As for the OP, I like the idea of metering to discourage waste but in practice, once it's fitted, later residents can't go back and there's no choice in water supply so they've got people over a barrel (water butt?), so I'd stay rated if possible.

I'm buying water like everyone else the south west is a low wage economy the only people making any money are the big holiday park owners and should I pay more for my car because we have nice scenic country lanes to drive through.

 

[night cycler]

I was billed by my water suppliers for £23.75 a month. I contacted them after hearing i could have a meter fitted, as i live alone and thought it'd be cheaper. They re-estimated the bill to £17.35. I use a sink full of water a day to wash up. I have a 10 minute shower a day. I use a washbasin full every two days to shave, and i flush the toilet about 4 times a day. Yes or no?

Edit... and not forgetting the 4 or 5 mugs of tea or coffee i have everyday,which must be about a full kettle full if that.

Your water bill at the moment is quite low at £285 per yr. I am assuming it is a one bed flat and not located in an expensive area.

As a comparison, if I was not on a meter mine would be approximately £820 per yr-scandless I know. But, I am on a meter and my quarterly bill is between £35 to £40, so £160 per yr.

Yes there is only me here, and I use around 9 cubic meters of water per quarter.

No intention of moving a family in anytime soon, or ever selling the house. I do understand the concerns of selling a family sized accommodation with a meter fitted. Can't see an issue as such selling a small place.

I have just been talking to Yorkshire Water and it is 2 years grace now to have it removed if not happy. Check with your water supplier if that is an issue.

When you live alone you only have to flush the toilet once per day.

 

[Freds Dad]

See if this helps

https://www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/

 

[night cycler]

i pay 37 a month.

dont forget if you go with a meter you pay 12 payments a year and not 10.

my bill went up having a meter

I pay quarterly. Always have done with meter.

 

[night cycler]

I'm on a meter and pay the dear old South West Water £73.50 a month and no we're not running a B&B! We live in a small(ish) 3 bedroom house but we in the South West pay the most for our water in the country ... I think.

I should check that you don't have some Slovakians living in the loft.

 

[BoldonLad]

Northumbrian Water is our supplier. We used to pay £40/month (10 payments per year), unmetered. We now pay £14/month metered, again, 10 payments per year. The only water “saving” I practice is collecting rain water to water garden. So, for now, I am pleased we went metered.

 

[Cheddar George]

We are metered and Bristol water charge us approx. £ 40 a year standing charge + £ 1.20 per cubic metre (1000 litres).

I know some water companies charge more but some of the bills mentioned in this thread are massive. Is anyone including their sewerage charges ?

 

[User10119]

Northumbrian Water is our supplier. We used to pay £40/month (10 payments per year), unmetered. We now pay £14/month metered, again, 10 payments per month. The only water “saving” I paractice is collecting rain water to water garden. So, for now, I am pleased we went metered.

Please tell me that's a typo and you meant per year!?!

 

[Drago]

I don't think any effort should be expended on attempting to reduce domestic consumption by installation of meters etc, until the water companies start to make serious inroads into their own leaks and wastage. Up to a third of the UK pumping capacity is lost through leaks in the network, yet they twiddle their thumbs and fanny about with meters. Maximising return for shareholders takes priority.

This is very much a UK phenomenon. The government are skint, so instead of getting big business and the wealthy to pay their rightful billions in unpaid tax, they clamp down on the disabled to save a few hundred million instead.

The Chief Freemason of Derbyshire police is facing a 16+% rise in burglary rates, but still has the time to argue with a male voice choir about having no females on the team.

I could go on, this kind of attention to irrelevant minutiae while the big picture is willfully ignored just boils my wee wee. Fiddling while Rome burns - the UK way.

 

[Milkfloat]

The Chief Freemason of Derbyshire police is facing a 16+% rise in burglary rates, but still has the time to argue with a male voice choir about having no females on the team.

It is possible that the burglary perpetrators are female singers and giving them an outlet would curb their thieving tenancies. However, that is somewhat unlikely.