Water Bill...should I move to a meter?

[CornishTeaTime]

Never had a meter as Severn Trent Water has always been reasonable BUT its gone up hugely just had an annual bill. £770 for the year!

3 of us in the household we also have a bath no shower ... is it worth moving to a meter Im wondering?

Last year I paid £598 per year not on meter

I would get an over bath shower and stop the baths. Then get on a water meter.

Cant do that sadly

10 minutes under a power shower is about the same as a bath, how often do you have a bath? Our water costs have about halved since we went on a meter.

My water bill was a joke when I wasn't on a meter. You'd think I had a swimming pool. I am on a meter and it's about £100 a year.

Definitely get a meter as it's a no lose situation. I very highly doubt you will use more than if you are on rateable value (what you are currently on) but if you do, you can switch back (I think it's within 2 years). I work in the water industry and unless you use a ridiculous amount of water or have a huge leak, it's always better to be on a meter, especially with the charges increasing.

Had an email this morning to say mines gone up twenty pounds a month, to ninety pounds a month (also include sewerage etc, so not just water). Three adults and dog in household.

Depends where you live.

Personally £800 for 3 people in my area is top end but common enough. The rateable value of our house 4 beds 4 baths puts us on a high tariff. When it is just my DH and I at home it is less with a water meter but when DC are at home it’s the same as the rateable value.

I'm on a meter and there's two of us in a one bathroom household which is £330 per year. Daily showers, washine machine is on twice a week and we handwash dishes.

We are on a meter and our bill is £98 a month for 2 adults and 1 child. We have 2 showers and 1 bath daily, use washing machine daily and dishwasher daily. It seems extortionate to me, and I am dreading the new bill coming out. The cost is for both water and sewerage.

Mine is that much and I'm on a meter!
We are a family of 6 though, lots of showers, washing machine on a lot as is dishwasher
Has gone up so much though over the years

Have you checked you haven't got a leak???? That's really high for on a meter.

Discover water website can tell you the average annual cost per household, but you can also look it up by who the supplier is to see the annual cost for that area. For 25/26 the average annual cost for water and sewage is £603, with lowest being Northumbrian at £506, and the highest is Southern at £703 per annum.

No leak. Just with a very expensive water company.

@CornishTeaTime

I would definitely go in a meter but you need to take showers instead of a bath.

You can get a little valve that fits onto a mixer tap and then add a proper shower hose and head.

Or if you haven't got a mixer tap, install a thermostatic mixer tap. I'm sure it'll pay for itself in a short space of time.

We are on a water meter and pay £100 a month. Family of four.

Four showers every day and sometimes one or two more if people are doing sport then washing machine on every day as well as the dishwasher.

People are mentioning dishwashers here. It’s worth mentioning that dishwashers use less water and energy than handwashing an equivalent load. Years ago the idea that handwashing is more economical was debunked by the Good Housekeeping Institute, and there have been many more studies since then, and modern dishwashers are even more efficient.

Of course, you need to use them properly- stack carefully and run them when full but overloaded. The same goes for washing machines.

Surely it must be quite hard to make a comparison though because it depends how you do your hand dishwashing?

We are switching to a meter next week. 2 adults in a 3 bed, 2 bath house. Rates bill is over £1000! Water company reckon we could almost halve that on a meter.

We're on a meter in Yorkshire. Family of 4 with a husband who likes very deep baths 3-4 times a week! Washing machine on 4-5 times a week. Our bill is £35 a month which has gone up from £29. Looks like that's a bargain compared to some!!

Anyone on this thread with 3 or more children under 19 OR with anyone disabled claiming DLA or PIP (other benefits also qualify) can have their water capped at around £400 with Water Sure. You do have to have a meter fitted for it but it's worth checking if you fit the criteria.

Im on a meter
2 adults
1 bed
£70 a month

Thanks for posting this. I've just found out today that ours is going up by about £27.00 a month to £83.00. Yorkshire Water. I've booked the call back.

Why not?

We dont have the money to install a shower.