So now it's a drought on the way as well - AIBU to think water meters should be compulsory

[cakeorwine]

www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/31/drought-water-queues-uk-hosepipe-ban-compulsory-metering

Low levels of water supply.
Reservoirs drying up
Farmers having issues with watering crops.

The average household with a water meter uses 33 litres a day. Those without use 141 litres a day (on average)

The UK has the highest water consumption in Europe

OTOH - water companies lose 3 billion litres a day in leaks

We have a water meter - and it does make you think that if you are paying for the volume you use, you use less.

And it does seem unfair that people can use more of the same product from the same company but not get charged for the amount they use.

OTOH - there are households who would suffer if they had reasons why they used a lot of water and that could affect their health.

But then again, there are people who don't care about their water usage as they aren't paying per litre.

We are facing a drought - and climate change will affect water supply going forward. So maybe it is time for a look at compulsory metering WITH a look at cost per 1000 litres and a sensible look at circumstances of households.

@cakeorwine

How do you suppose they'd be able to make allowances for specific households? It would be a logistical nightmare & expense. They'd be better off putting that money towards fixing leaks!!

I'm on a meter. I use the water I need. I don't do anything differently on a meter than I did before.

I used to be on tank water, in the summer it was necessary to change your habits as getting water delivered was a nightmare (that's without considering the cost) not flushing the loo after a wee, very short showers, bucket underneath the glow before you get in then used for a loo flush when required.

super efficient dish & clothes washing.

cars etc just not washed

selectively watering vegetable/salad plants with any suitable water from the house )not planting decorative plants that can't cope with long hot summers with no water)

but in England where it rains a stupid amount, I am NOT making my life a misery to save a little bit of water until the water companies start fixing leaks immediately they're reported.

One thing that has made me think about saving money is the energy monitor in the house. It's easy to see the usage.

The water meter is more difficult. Obviously you can read it - but it's not a live monitior. If I could see the usage easily, then it would make me realise more what it is costing.

(I have just taken a water meter reading just to see if there are any leaks)

I don't think you can go off those figures due to the bias. Smaller households switch to meters because they know it is going to be cheaper than normal static water rates so there will be more lower users with meters🤔

We can't get one due to the location of the pipework coming onto the property. It would require serious excavation and new pipes. We don't even have mains drainage here; I'd rather have that than a meter.

I live rurally. Along the road, there has been a water leak for 8 months. Despite us, the parish.district and county councils reporting it, nothing has happened. The road has now partially collapsed so the county council fenced that bit off in March. This week temporary traffic lights were out up and signs saying the road will be closed for 5 days in a fortnight's time. Imagine how much water has been wasted in 8 months. South West Water are an utter disgrace.

Plenty of water in the reservoir near my house. I take no notice of hose pipe bans. It’s just poor infrastructure and I don’t have a meter. There’s enough water in the world, it’s not something I would ever feel remotely bad about.

Yes but again making everyone miserable in the bargain

Why can't someone fill a shallow paddling pool in the hot weather.

We still pay a lot for our water

The water cos need to sort the leaks out

I think all new houses do have meters now (in England anyway - I think in NI and Scotland water bills are in with the council tax/rates?)

Interestingly when I expressed an interest in having a meter the next thing was someone coming to my house and installing one! I never actually said I definitely wanted one. Interesting that there is a delay with them these days.

We pay a lot less on a meter though (3 of us).

@woodhill

I know right. Let’s all just freeze AND smell this winter hey? I mean we NEED water to drink but a bath is only a WANT. We can survive without baths and showers.

Shame on the those people like myself filling up their massive paddling pools.

That's fine for England but there is no drought in Scotland and I can't remember when there last was one. Plus water is still publicly owned in Scotland.

My water company sent me a text during the hot weather asking me not to use my hosepipe and to turn off the tap when cleaning my teeth.
I have driven down a road into my local town centre a number of times over the last few weeks and there is water pouring down the road presumably from a pipe burst. It's right outside a business premises visited by customers so I'm pretty sure it will have been reported. If they can't be bothered to fix the leak then why should I let my plants - that I paid good money for - die (I never water the lawn). I'm on a water meter so pay for what I use but I think they have a cheek asking me to save water whilst they are visibly wasting it!
And it's barely stopped raining here for the last few days so water shortage looking unlikely!

Yes it seems to be going back to the war when you could only have 2" of bath water

This is what’s so scary about climate change - it isn’t just a question of heat. People keep saying “oh well, I like hot summers, it’s not so bad.” But it’s about more than that. It means flooding, drought, mass migration, all kinds of things - not just hot summers.

And it’s much nicer water. It doesn’t scale up the kettle or shower walls like water down south does, washing in it doesn’t leave your skin dry and needing moisturiser, it tastes better and you don’t even have to pay an extra bill for it because it’s included in the council tax. Scotland is winning on every level when it comes to water.

It used to be included in the rates in England I believe?

I think with all the issues we're having we keep turning on Joe Bloggs who's just trying to live his life and ignoring that huge corporations are causing 90% of every issue we face. We need to hold them accountable not the person who has a full bath evey night when they get in from work or likes to go to Spain once a year or does a bit of fencing off the books on a weekend to make ends meet.

Looks like I need to submit a reading to Yorkshire water - they don't take regular readings and are have over estimated our usage this year.

Any property built or subdivided (provided it was done according to building regulations and planning permission and not done by a dodgy builder.) since 1989 has to be metered , as this was the last year that rates were set (thanks to the poll tax). Owners of older properties have the option to go on a meter provided it's technically possible. You can't meter properties with shared supplies, which is quite common in some victorian terraces. You can't revert back to RV either.
The household is responsible for pipework from the external stop tap at the boundary up to and into the house. This is also a common place for leakage, so it isn't just the public main that is at fault.

The water board keep offering us a water meter but we've always declined. I'm sure they will be made compulsory at some point. Although I would like to feel confident that they are maintaining all the pipes first because recently when our water flow was lower than it should be we complained and they found a leak in the pipe work leading to our house.

"I think with all the issues we're having we keep turning on Joe Bloggs who's just trying to live his life and ignoring that huge corporations are causing 90% of every issue we face"

^ that with bells on.
I'm on Merseyside, we've had no shortage of rain and lots of leaks. If there was a water shortage up here then it's through mismanagement. I like the idea of rethinking population levels in certain areas and it's something that we need to take on board. That and better management. I can't help feeling that moving all the employment South, a lack of investment in the North (basically most Tory policies) is the root cause of a lot of the issues faced, including housing.

We tried to get a water meter but when the water person came out to fit it in turned out we couldn’t have one due to some pipe being inaccessible. We did try!

Not all areas of the south have hard water @ClocksGoingBackwards . My water in the SW is almost as soft as Manchester water.

They're not really the solution though, are they?

I don't have one and use very little water.

Fixing the leaks in the pipes would do a lot more to help, I think. There's a leak in my village that's been running for weeks and still isn't fixed. God knows how much water is being wasted daily.

And thinks like water reclamation schemes need to be brought in. Can't remember which one but one of the services has a green roof and a couple of big reclamation ponds that must save thousands of gallons. Think of how much rain goes straight into the sewers from roofs, car parks and such.

We are a 2 person household. We don't have a bath, only a shower.
We requested a water meter and were refused and told that it wasn't possible. We pay twice what my friend up the road pays who is on a meter and they have a household of 5 including 3 teenage girls who like their long soaks in the bath.
How is that fair?

Meters are meant to be compulsory here, but when the man from the water came round, he refused, because it would involve cutting a bigger hole in the back if the kitchen unit (there's already one there for the stop cock, so it woukd just need enlarging,) despite both the landlord and I saying it was absolutely fine to do it - they're 20 year old B&Q units (though they were probably 12-15 years old back then.)

They're not really the solution though, are they

Just part of a bigger solution

Fixing leaks helps
Reclaiming water helps
Getting people to think about what they use and to have financial incentives as you pay for it helps