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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

water rates

56 replies

Marney · 30/08/2011 21:50

Just had to pay over two hundred pounds the charges for this year are in total 415.71 we live in a 2 bedroom housing association house .Just dissapointed that the coalition have done nothing about reducing things like this its more for a year than im likely to earn in one month .Im the only wage earner no other income ,Im going to try the water meter option
Just thought people might want to compare the cost this one is United utilities in merseyside. if you are unemployed i think you get some help but we dont mind you you would need help on 67 pound a week

OP posts:
worraliberty · 30/08/2011 21:52

I think mine's about £360 a year but I prefer that than to have a water meter.

I'm sure I'd end up paying far more if I had one fitted

RedHelenB · 30/08/2011 21:52

I#d get a meter asap if I were you.

Original poster
Marney · 30/08/2011 22:01

Ive always been scared of getting a meter before but if its by any chance less ive got to try what i dont see is why water in some places costs so much and there doesnt seem to be any good reason or limits on what they can charge

OP posts:
azazello · 30/08/2011 22:04

If you ask to have a water meter fitted and they can't do it, they will calculate the bill on the basis of the number of people in the flat and give you the option to pay that which often comes out lower.

Flisspaps · 30/08/2011 22:08

I think we pay about £40 a month (no meter, Severn Trent) but I pay nothing between Jan 1 and 31 March, so £360 per month.

Apparently a good rule of thumb is that if you have more bedrooms than people living in the property you'd be better off with a water meter, but once one is fitted it won't be removed.

If you've just paid over £200 does that mean you pay every 6 months? Can you not spread the cost over the year instead?

ChaoticAngeloftheUnderworld · 30/08/2011 22:11

I'm glad you've posted this. It's reminded me to pay my water bill Grin

My water bill this year is £322.76. About £10 per month cheaper than last year.

justpaddling · 30/08/2011 22:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

piratecat · 30/08/2011 22:15

try living in Devon. most expensive in the country, it's crap.

we don't all have fancy homes with country views. We pay to keep the beaches clean with our bills it seems.i pay £500 a year, on a meter. me and my child.

Original poster
Marney · 30/08/2011 22:27

Thanks i ve asked a neighbour and she seems to pay less on a meter so i will try it when i spoke to someone at united utilities she said it depended on rateable value but we live un what they usually call a deprived area .Sorry about the devon one its not like you use more water is it it really should be sorted out

OP posts:
5ofus · 30/08/2011 22:41

I pay far less on a water meter. Would have been £51 a month on rateable value but we pay £21.50 a month. Saved us about £500 in the time we've had it installed. There used to be a trial where you could have it removed if it was more expensive. I've also seen mandatory installations starting around here.

ChaoticAngeloftheUnderworld · 30/08/2011 23:23

You can still have it removed if it works out dearer if your water is provided by United Utilities, so long as it's done within 13 months of you having it installed. They don't actually remove it but will go back to the original rateable value. That's only if you have it installed yourself though. If you move into a property that already has a water meter they won't.

feedthegoat · 30/08/2011 23:28

I pay £480 a year in rates. I prefer this to the £960 we paid on a meter, despite there being only 2 of us out working full time. It was literally my bath and dh's shower, one sink of pots a day and 3 loads in washer a week. We were careful too and didn't water garden or wash car at home. I'd have to be forced onto a meter now.

ChickenLickn · 31/08/2011 00:20

Im on a meter and regret it. £360 per person! Its more expensive, and now Im scared to flush the loo!

worraliberty · 31/08/2011 00:24

I meant to say...my Dad regrets getting a water meter too.

There's only him and my Brother in the house and yet he's paying slightly more than he did before he got the meter.

BreconBeBuggered · 31/08/2011 00:29

Another one who wishes the previous owners hadn't fitted a water meter. There are 4 of us and 3 bedrooms, but the youngest is small enough to share baths so he makes little impact on usage. I dread the statements coming through the door. I seldom flush the toilet for anything non-solid during the day, and have to race around making things more user-friendly if we have unexpected callers. Lovely.

LineRunner · 31/08/2011 00:29

Your water and sewage rates are set by the water companies (who have private shareholders; thanks Thatcher) with the permission of the regulator Ofwat. Ofwat have to approve your bills. But without investment from bill payers your water companies won't plug the expensive leaks.

The rates vary significantly around the country.

When water meters are introuduced to a household, on average the consumption rate drops by 20% immediately. When the first bill arrives and it isn't anything like as bad as feared, the permanent overall drop stabilises at around 10%.

To be honest I would prefer nationalisation.

brighthair · 31/08/2011 00:52

Just me, on a meter and pay about £160 a year

CardyMow · 31/08/2011 00:57

I have 4dc, do about 3 wash loads a day, am on a water meter, and I spend £27 a month £324 a year.

If I didn't have a water meter, I would be paying £60 a month based on my council tax band...

How do people find a water meter dearer ????

CardyMow · 31/08/2011 00:59

Forgot to say - I'm in a relatively well-off part of Essex, with Anglian Water.

CardyMow · 31/08/2011 01:00

And that amount was based on when Ex-P was here too, so it's for 2 adults and 4dc that I pay £324 a year for.

CardyMow · 31/08/2011 01:01

Well that's one good thing about Ex-P having left me!! Grin

rimmerfleadick · 31/08/2011 01:03

Also with UU £400 p.a on a meter. 3 bed det.

shakey1500 · 31/08/2011 01:08

We're better off n a meter. About £20 is our bill and there's usually a rebate of around £20 per year as well. North Wales.

Andrewofgg · 31/08/2011 07:28

Water rates are a survival from older days and IME the sooner every is turned over to metering the better, with the charge fixed so that a household with average use is neither better nor worse off. But be warned: that would mean charging bigger households, especially those with people at home all day, more.

And why not? They pay more for food than a small household on a similar diet!

GreatBallsOfFluff · 31/08/2011 08:07

Another one in Devon here and up until 2 years ago I was paying £95 a month on mains as I was terrified of getting a meter and the costs soaring beyond control.

I'm so glad I did go for the meter in the end as now I pay £30 a month and just received a chq from South West Water for £150 as was so much in credit Grin

It is just me and DD though and I work f/time so the house is empty most of the time. Just gutted that I didnt bite the bullet and switch earlier.

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