Advantages and disadvantages of a water meter?

[W4SIM]

Hello all

My annual water bill has arrived for this year and its going to be £315 for the year, which works out to be about £26 a month. Its just a domestic property, with nothing daft like a pond or sprinkler system or anything that uses a lot of water. Im the only person living here so i dont use a lot of water anyway. I think by my calculation about £12 a month would be about right.

The main advantage of getting a water meter is that it'll cut my bill to about half, with my current circumstances. The water board are saying i can go on the meter and then come off after 12 months if i want, which is the good news. But they're also saying that they wont remove the meter once installed and will use it to bill the next owner. Im looking at having the house for the next 4 to 5 years.

Now i know not everyone wants to be billed by a meter, so in the long run am i looking at possibly making it harder to sell my own house as people are easily put off by the whole water meter scenario?

Im thinking water meters will start to show in the HIP's packs for the homes, but im also thinking that with every idiot jumping on the environment wagon it wont be too long before they become compulsary.

Your thoughts please on wether i should get it now and save on my bills, or wether getting it now would mean shooting myself in the long run?

 

[xerxes]

It seems that you know roughly how much money you can save at current prices; you have no idea whether changing to a metered supply would make any difference to the resale price (plus or minus) of your house in four or five years' time.

I would save the money now, and not fret about the future of house prices; after all there are so many other, much more significant, factors which will be affecting the price.

 

[W4SIM]

It seems that you know roughly how much money you can save at current prices; you have no idea whether changing to a metered supply would make any difference to the resale price (plus or minus) of your house in four or five years' time.

I would save the money now, and not fret about the future of house prices; after all there are so many other, much more significant, factors which will be affecting the price.

True, True.

 

[LUNAT]

HI

i just paid my water bill (no meter fitted ) £301.50 .
i feel the same as you do ,but we cant do anything about it .
fuel prices ,water rates,gas bills,etc.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Im under Anglian Water, single occupier. My metered bill is approx £10-12 a month. In todays economic climate id go for it, save where you can.

I try and be frugal, showers instead of baths, fill washing machine and dishwasher before using, etc.

 

[mikej2005]

Your thoughts please on wether i should get it now and save on my bills, or wether getting it now would mean shooting myself in the long run?

Based on my experience of living in a house without and (currently) with a meter and provided you don't waste/use excessive amounts of water, I reckon that a single person in an average 3 bedroom house will probably save money and a single person living in a larger house would probably save a lot !

Our metered water bill has settled on around £20/month (2 adults/1 toddler in a 4-bedroom detached) - the water rates would be around 3 times that.

I wouldn't worry about possible future resale value if you have a water meter fitted - anyone refusing to buy your house (or trying to devalue it) because it has a meter is just looking for an excuse.

Water meters will become the norm in the not-too-distant future, I'm sure.

 

[jpdw]

I never really liked the idea of a water meter but have changed my mind in the past year: My wife and I moved from our flat where we didn't have a meter to a house where the previous owners had had a meter fitted - so we had no choice but to be metered.

Our experience is that we now pay less than half what we used to pay at our flat. We just use water "normally" ie don't waste unnecessarily, but we certainly aren't restricting showers or toilet flushing or anything like that.

As for the re-sale value of your home if you do have a meter fitted: We knew the place we were buying was on a water meter, but spending a few hundred thousands on a home, the water meter was a miniscule part of the equation. It certainly didn't put us off & I suspect it won't put off many serious buyers -- meanwhile you have the choice to go back to rated-billing after year if you find metering not to your liking.

 

[htgeng]

count yourself lucky. My rateable water bill with Anglian Water is £484 for the year and Im in a Band B house. Thats almost as much as I pay for gas AND electricity. Crazy. They just seem to whack up the bill by about £40 per year.

 

[petit_pablo]

We are on a water meter as we currently live in a rented 2 bed house. Our annual water bill is around £120.

Theres 2 of us here and the mrs likes her baths!

 

[giblets]

Down here when a property changes hands the water company will automatically install a meter for the new owner whether wanted or not. Thats their rules!

This is likely to become the norm so I would not worry too much about putting off potential buyers in 4-5 years time - they won't have a choice. Have one installed now and save the money.