I got a letter yesterday from the water board saying i would be better off on a meter. If this is true why would they tell me ( surely there in it to make cash ! ). Has anyone here changed to a water meter and saved money ?
water meter, is is cheaper ?
- Thread starter micpwelsh
- Start date
If your living alone or with your partner,both work all day and have no kids then you will be saving cash. On the other hand if you got a few children, enjoy a spot of gardening, kiss goodbye to watering the lawn because it is a deffo no. Remember once a meter is installed you cannot change your mind and remove it at a later date.
My daughter has just gone to a meter, she can change back within 1 year.
put in the details here
http://www.uswitch.com/Water/index....ch&sessionid=3FkJab6hLkCIZk8NvENfe6aHU4fh1T7A
and it will tell you your rough consumption
http://www.uswitch.com/Water/index....ch&sessionid=3FkJab6hLkCIZk8NvENfe6aHU4fh1T7A
and it will tell you your rough consumption
Metered charges vary a lot across the country but are usually cheaper in cities.
Most metered costs are £400-£500 per annum. Its usually cheaper on ratable system unless you are in a bijou cottage or small posh flat.
Tony
Most metered costs are £400-£500 per annum. Its usually cheaper on ratable system unless you are in a bijou cottage or small posh flat.
Tony
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water companies have a legal obligation to install so many meters a year. Thats why they are writing to you. Its about water efficiency / environment etc.
You can change back within a year but be warned - the meter stays in the ground and if you ever sell the new owner has got to be metered. May put people off buying your house!
Its also not just about cost of water (£/m3) because when you are metered your sewage charge is also based on the meter reading.
You can change back within a year but be warned - the meter stays in the ground and if you ever sell the new owner has got to be metered. May put people off buying your house!
Its also not just about cost of water (£/m3) because when you are metered your sewage charge is also based on the meter reading.
We moved into a 4-bed detached house (already fitted with a water meter) last year and our monthly water bill (which has now settled at around £30/month) is around half the normal monthly water rate for a house of that size in our area.
We're careful with our water use, but we're not anal about it. A dishwasher is about the only appliance that uses water that we don't have.
The water rate at our previous house (3-bed semi) was around £30+, so we wouldn't have saved much if we'd had a meter fitted there - the rateable value/council tax band seems to have more of an impact on whether a water meter will save you money than the amount of water you use !
We're currently 2 adults + 1 toddler, so the bill will obviously increase if our family grows and the kids get older, but for now we're saving hundreds of pounds a year.
Anyone that tells you that you definitely won't save money if you get a meter fitted or that it will put off potential house buyers in the future is just plain wrong IMO !
Ask friends and neighbours in your area, to get a better idea of whether you will save money or not.
We're careful with our water use, but we're not anal about it. A dishwasher is about the only appliance that uses water that we don't have.
The water rate at our previous house (3-bed semi) was around £30+, so we wouldn't have saved much if we'd had a meter fitted there - the rateable value/council tax band seems to have more of an impact on whether a water meter will save you money than the amount of water you use !
We're currently 2 adults + 1 toddler, so the bill will obviously increase if our family grows and the kids get older, but for now we're saving hundreds of pounds a year.
Anyone that tells you that you definitely won't save money if you get a meter fitted or that it will put off potential house buyers in the future is just plain wrong IMO !
Ask friends and neighbours in your area, to get a better idea of whether you will save money or not.
This is an interesting point...and, as I discovered, something of a misconception...I have a dishwasher...a narrow one and have rarely used it because "it uses more water and electricity than hand washing". Then I read an article on saving water, installing a meter etc..and it said that dishwashers are cheaper to use than heating the water for the sink and in the amount of water used.
"No way" I thought until I did some more investigations and found that the average dishwasher uses around half the water hand washing does for the same amount of dishes AND uses half to 2/3 the electricity/gas to heat the water. I wish I'd saved the web sites with the info but a good Google search should find them..it was totally conclusive..I remember that.
So if you are thinking of fitting a meter then get, or use, that dishwasher...
Thus ends the broadcast of behalf of the water and energy saving corporation....
Yes, I was living alone in 3 bed and saw my bills go from 500 a year to about 140 a year.
I had an 8l flush toilet (9 litres minus 1 litre) which I flushed every time I used it, ran two washloads a week in my 1990 washing machine, had 10 minute showers (not every day though) washed up by hand, and watered my vegetables from a watering can from the tap (but not every day). My water use was a little under 1000l a week which was, bizarrely, below the national average.
Incidentally, I wonder about that washing up by hand statistic. I can usually wash up for four people using a single bowlful of water, and this includes rinsing everything. Are others less parsimonious?
I had an 8l flush toilet (9 litres minus 1 litre) which I flushed every time I used it, ran two washloads a week in my 1990 washing machine, had 10 minute showers (not every day though) washed up by hand, and watered my vegetables from a watering can from the tap (but not every day). My water use was a little under 1000l a week which was, bizarrely, below the national average.
Incidentally, I wonder about that washing up by hand statistic. I can usually wash up for four people using a single bowlful of water, and this includes rinsing everything. Are others less parsimonious?
I remember being surprised as well. That post was a few years ago now so I can't remember all the details but dishwasher tablets are far more efficient than washing up liquid of course so generally they don't need as much water. I suppose it also depends on if you wait and only wash a full load which is not always practical for some of course.
My new dishwasher hardly seems to use any water even compared with my efficient old one. Be interesting to find out if what I discovered then still holds true... especially with power and water costs having risen.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...ld-I-wash-up-by-hand-or-use-a-dishwasher.html
My new dishwasher hardly seems to use any water even compared with my efficient old one. Be interesting to find out if what I discovered then still holds true... especially with power and water costs having risen.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...ld-I-wash-up-by-hand-or-use-a-dishwasher.html
I've heard it said that if your house has more bedrooms than inhabitants, then you'll save money using a water meter. This is because the charge for unmetered water is based on the rateable value of your property - so bigger houses attract bigger charges.
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