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Original poster

To water meter or to not water meter?

60 replies

MyPurpleHeart · 20/04/2023 10:11

My water bill has come through, for 2 adults who both work full time its £71.88 per month. Is it just me or is that very high?

DH works and stays away 3 nights a week so we are talking only 3-5 showers a week between us, two loads of washing and maybe 2 rounds of the dishwasher.

I'm tempted to change to a water meter but will that be more? Am I safer on a fixed rate?

OP posts:
AuntieDolly · 20/04/2023 10:36

Family of 3 here, £28 pm

Icantstopeatinglol · 20/04/2023 10:38

I would go for a water meter. Depends which company you are with but most allow you to change back within a certain time period if it works out more expensive for you.

Lcb123 · 20/04/2023 10:39

That’s very high - I don’t know why you wouldn’t get a meter? We’re 2 adults, about £16 a month and we always have credit on our account. With a meter

Was126orbustandmaybebust · 20/04/2023 10:40

Water meter. Our bill is now £21 pm with Thames Water,
Withut a meter it was over £60

Lcb123 · 20/04/2023 10:40

maybe it varies by supplier but we still pay a fixed monthly amount. Annually they adjust the monthly amount based on if you have credit / debt

daisychain01 · 20/04/2023 10:42

Definitely go for a water meter, you're being ripped off bigtime by your water company. We pay about£30/month on our water meter and we are quids in compared to fixed rate. It also makes us careful about water consumption eg I have 3 large water butt's for all my gardening and greenhouse so it's better for the environment as well.

MymateDave · 20/04/2023 10:43

Get the meter! Family of 5 here. At least 1 washing machine load a day. And always a dishwasher load. £33 a month we pay. I was stung before thinking the flat rate was cheaper. At the time it was only me & dd and I still pay less now with 5 of us.

RaininSummer · 20/04/2023 10:45

Sounds high. I live in an expensive water area and my metered bill for two adults is 57 a month

tescocreditcard · 20/04/2023 10:48

The cost of water is roughly £150 per person per year.

Ohdearwhatnow4 · 20/04/2023 10:53

Family of 6, £35 per month not on meter. Several loads a day. 5 showers a day and a bath. Flourish garden (do have water butt's but still use hose) dishwasher on 9 times a week on average.

Rowthe · 20/04/2023 10:57

Ours was 200 for 6 months
With 2 adults and 2 kids.

Inforapenny65 · 20/04/2023 11:05

We are with Thames Water... it's a two adult household. Initially they wanted £75.00 per month.... I immediately contacted them and requested a water meehich was fitted within wry. Our monthly bill is now £17.00

beguilingeyes · 20/04/2023 11:28

We went on to a meter when we moved house. Our water bill is currently £5 a month!

GasPanic · 20/04/2023 11:28

I think the only time it is worth staying on rates is if you have a huge house and family.

Myabe if you have a gardening addition and swimming pool as well.

Motnight · 20/04/2023 11:35

We are with Thames. 2 people. Unable to have a water meter. £26 per month

YesitsBess · 20/04/2023 11:43

We moved to a place with a meter, bill has gone from £38 to less than £12 PM

Me and my son, at least 2 showers a day (he does an after school sport) a bath after matches and lots of muddy kit washing. No dishwasher...yet.

MrsCharlesFrere · 20/04/2023 11:51

Thames Water here, 5-6 adults, dishwasher and washing machine on every day, and a large garden that I water through spring and summer!

Our metered monthly bill is only £41pm average.

simbobs · 20/04/2023 12:06

I think I will move to a meter. We pay £86 per month. There are 4 of us, including a dog, who has to count as an inhabitant as he does generate his own washing. I do quite a bit of that, plus dishwasher and showers but I don't think we would end up paying more. We are with United Utilities.

Nannyfannybanny · 20/04/2023 12:12

Meter every time. We're with SE water.

AlltheFs · 20/04/2023 12:18

We really want a meter and can’t have one. Have had them out twice and they say can’t be done (no room for internal meter and the outside infrastructure is complicated and too expensive apparently). Our water charge here is double what we paid when we lived a few miles down the road and we had a bath then!

Infuriating. We are low users and it was £26pm on a meter and now it’s £48pm rateable.
We have the fresh water from one supplier and sewerage from another.

I really wish you could swap supplier for water-businesses can.

In the meantime I am being petty and deliberately using loads. The garden is getting watered liberally this year. Sod them. I’m getting my moneys worth!

LIZS · 20/04/2023 12:31

It will vary by supplier. Ours is about £30 pcm for mainly two adults at home. SES water

gogohmm · 20/04/2023 15:00

Ours is £56 a month for 3-7 adults (young adults at home/staying at boyfriend's/boyfriend's visiting) and everyone showers daily. Washing machine on the go 5-6 times a week

simbobs · 20/04/2023 15:25

So I have spent all morning sorting out trying to get into our water account so that I can apply for a water meter. I haven't tried to access the account for years and it must have been in an obsolete email. I have now made the application. Our monthly bill is to go up to £91 from next month and is over £1000 a year. That is way more than anyone else in this thread is paying. I think I will be able to reduce it by half. If it isn't cheaper we can go back to our current arrangement.

Kiitos · 20/04/2023 15:31

Every time I do the online calculation, it suggests I would be paying more on a meter. I live on my own. Currently pay around £18pm

Bellie99 · 20/04/2023 15:40

Ours is £32 a month on meter. 2 adults, 2 teenagers. Washing machine on 8 times a week and dishwasher every day. Showers 36 or so times a week (lots of sports,). Direct debit went up from £31 a year last year