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Original poster

Talk to me about Water Meters?

54 replies

ciderhouserules · 01/10/2018 15:47

I am not currently Metered, but I've have a letter from the Water board to say that they are installing them at the boundary of my property (and all along the road) and I will be able to get connected for free. Also that I can use it for 2 years to see if i like it, after which I can opt-out if I want.

I know that it's likely to be cheaper if there are fewer people in the house than bedrooms - Its a 4bed, there will be 3 adults living here, occasionally 4 (weekends). But we all shower once a day; at least one of the adults will be showering twice a day sometimes. No-one really has baths more than a couple of times a year, but we have 3 loos. I already use waterbutts in the garden.

Is my water bill likely to go up? Or down?

And will it effect the house resale value - as I said, a 4bed, so realistically will sell (in the future at some point) to a family of at least 5.

OP posts:
flopsyrabbit1 · 01/10/2018 15:52

watching as ive just signed up for one here

were down to one adult one child 3 bed house (one toilet)have a power shower and that does use a fare bit and bath used twice a week

rateable bill usually £550 a year,i hope i save

EscapeToTheMoon · 01/10/2018 16:46

Being a family of 5 I would certainly not buy a house with a meter.

We pay £140pa for our water and we have a 5 bed detached house.

flopsyrabbit1 · 01/10/2018 16:48

but dont they put one in when a house has sold now

so if thats the case prospective buyers dont have a choice

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 01/10/2018 16:48

I've had a water meter for over 20 years with various numbers of people living here and it roughly works out at £100 per person per year

flopsyrabbit1 · 01/10/2018 16:52

so £560 a year for 5 of youEscapeToTheMoon

i pay £550 and there is 1adult 1child 3 bed so if ours is a meter when my starts i should save

yours sounds ok

WhoWants2Know · 01/10/2018 16:54

Mine was put in when they were installing throughout the village and I made the decision to switch when they pointed out that based on my actual usage, I was paying double what I should be and offered an immediate rebate for that year.

That's with 3 people in a two bed house, and no shower-only baths.

PattiStanger · 01/10/2018 17:00

No one can tell you, if it turns out more expensive then you change back. Water costs vary depending on where you live and exactly how much you use, no one else's experience is a guide to you unless they are your exact clone.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 01/10/2018 17:42

My water costs went down substantially when I switched to a meter nearly 20 years ago.

We are a family of four (DD at uni but home holidays and at least one weekend a month). Two bathrooms with power showers. We each shower once a day,often twice for DH and I when we workout after work. Dishwasher on once a day. Washing machine around five or six times a week. Irrigation system in the garden. Tropical fish tank with regular water changes. Pressure washer for cleaning the car/patio/driveway when needed. Toilets flushed after EVERY use.

We pay just over half what my neighbour pays in water rates for an identical house.

DancingintheSpoonlight · 01/10/2018 17:47

Completely depends on your current RV (rateable value). You should be able to go onto your suppliers website and do a usage calculator.

donajimena · 01/10/2018 17:52

I pay 6.50 per week on a water meter. There are 3 of us here. We shower daily. I run a dishwasher twice a week I have a 9kg washing machine which is on 3 times per week.
I know its a how long is a piece of string question when asking how much families use but I would be paying around 70 per month on rates. I love my water meter!

ramonaquimby · 01/10/2018 17:53

I don’t understand how it’s 2018 and people are offered a choice of having one or not. Surely people should pay for what they use?

flopsyrabbit1 · 01/10/2018 18:00

sounds encouraging

Original poster
ciderhouserules · 01/10/2018 18:25

It does sound encouraging. I know my DM had one installed years ago, and was forever putting bricks in the cisterns, ran the dishwasher once a week, and the washing machine likewise - until she realised that in fact the most of her cost was the 'land rental' (Or whatever it's called) . The actual water cost was tiny, living on her own in a small bungalow.

I already do a lot of water reducing actions - I have water buts in the garden, use the dishwasher about 3 x per week, the washing machine about 5-6 times. The shower has a water-reducing head. We don't always flush at night (too noisy)

I think I'll take them up on the offer, and see how it goes. I must confess I don't actually know how much I pay pa at the moment, so I must find that out too.

OP posts:
PattiStanger · 01/10/2018 18:58

You don't know how much you pay but you're hoping someone to tell you whether you will pay more or less with a meter?

Please find out and do some proper research before you decide.

BarbaraofSevillle · 02/10/2018 07:30

Your water company website should have a usage calculator to help you work out what you should pay on a meter.

We don't have a meter and couldn't have one when I asked due to some shared pipe issues and nowhere inside the house suitable to place a meter. But we've now had an extension, so this may have changed. We will probably save so I need to look into this myself.

We pay £140pa for our water and we have a 5 bed detached house.

That is much much lower than average - are you sure. We're on rates and we pay nearly £400 pa for a small 2 bed ex LA semi and we're not in the south west either. We paid more than £140 when we lived in a back to back terrace with no garden 15 years ago too.

Original poster
ciderhouserules · 02/10/2018 08:10

patti - yes, thank you. I did say I will have to find it out - it's just on DD at the mo, a payment gets made because it needs to be made. Same with the energy -- although I do swap and change on that every year.

I will use the usage calculator, thanks for the suggestion.

OP posts:
EscapeToTheMoon · 02/10/2018 14:38

No flopsy. £140 per annum. Were on mains only no sewage.

Meet0nTheIedge · 02/10/2018 14:50

Ours doubled, we were compulsorily metered. 4 people in a three bed house. Particularly irritating is the fact that they couldn't do the semis next to us as they have a joint supply so I have to listen to my neighbour's sprinkler swooshing away all summer knowing he only pays half what we do.

flopsyrabbit1 · 02/10/2018 16:38

wow Escape i bet you dont want a meterGrin

TheVonTrappFamilySwingers · 02/10/2018 16:42

You can't change back - I think you have misunderstood the literature. You get one fitted whether you like it or not, then you have a 2 year window where you can stay on old water rates, but you can switch to the meter if you prefer and after the 2 years you are on a meter regardless.

Zampa · 02/10/2018 16:49

We moved house locally, from a non-metered supply to a metered one. Our bills went up £15 pcm.

Similar family situation to BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou.

EscapeToTheMoon · 02/10/2018 16:55

Definitely not flopsy! Were also a registered small holding with a few animals to hydrate, but our water butts do the majority of that.

Tiggles · 02/10/2018 17:01

I was going to say that is really cheap EscapeToTheMoon, but if that doesn't include sewerage which is always more expensive than the water it isn't so surprising Grin.

When we had a water meter at our old house, it cost about £50 a quarter and there were 2 adults, 1 teen and 2 under 10s living in the house. At one point I was using reusable nappies, so lots of washing.

But, we did specifically buy a washing machine and dishwasher that had very low water consumption, and we didn't have a bath.

flopsyrabbit1 · 02/10/2018 17:02

on mine i have 2yrs to decide if i want to keep the meter if not i go back to ratable value, i have spoken to them

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