Water Meters: do you have one? Did it make a difference?

[llizzie]

For the past three years I have been asking the water company to instal a meter for the water I use instead of a flat sum spread over the year in direct debit.

Last month I had my meter installed at last. I had received a water bill this year for £1,300. 5 years ago is was just £600 a year.

On Saturday I received a new monthly payment of £20 a month. I was told it would be less, but that is just stunning.

I hope it isn't a mistake.

Yes, we're a low band.

I'm seriously considering asking for one. I live alone and my water bills have been creeping higher and higher each year. 8 years ago it was 32 quid a month,now it's just under 71. I live alone,only have showers,only do 1 - 2 loads of washing per week, and don't have a dish washer,so I think it would probably work out a lot cheaper.

Wow, your pre 2020 rates are still more than what we have just been increased to this year @llizzie

Watering the garden will become more expensive I suppose. Sometimes I can manage myself from the wheelchair, but I still have to pay the helpers to open the garage door to get to the hose!

Thanks for this thread OP, it has spurned me on to re-apply for a meter!

That's why I complained to them, first in 2023 then again in 2024 and finally now I have one. I sent them the copies of the chat they have on their site.

The May/June bank statement showed council tax was £180 (single occ, band reduction) and the water was £167.18. Without looking up, not sure if the council tax is over less months.

Were they deliberating whether I should have a water meter or not because they knew this customer would pay less? You could argue they wouldn't know me from Adam, but I had spoken to the so many times, on the phone in 2023, last year, in their onsite chat and complained to the ofwat or whoever, and they don;t really want to know and that is just so complicated,.

Then I got a note from them lowering the monthly payment to £150+. I don't know why, unless they picked up on the band reduction.

Last year it was £122 In 2023 it was £109.44.

On this past Saturday it came right down to £20.

How?

Those not on meters pay much more for water on the assumption they use more than average. The increase in price from 10 years ago is vastly higher for those unmetered than those with meters.

There was a segment on More Or Less on R4 about it which prompted me to change.

i think ours is expensive two of us can in a two bed house £73 a month. I do have a bath every night though and water the garden in summer.

I am wondering if the time I had to wait for the meter was long because they knew it would be a lot lower. I didn't realise it would make that much difference.

They were taking £167 a month out of my account since March. Then they sent me a note changing that to £150, though why I don't know, then the meter was installed last month and I received the new £20 a month last Saturday, which should have come out of my account the first of July.

I would like to know why they reduced it to £150. Should that have been the right amount of the DD? I like to think I would get some refund, but after the news tonight saying they paid millions out to the managers, I doubt that.

Last week I received a letter from the water company telling me I did not owe them anything when I changed to a meter. Not having changed before, I didn't know there was an account to settle.

Even more of a surprise was my bank statement today which showed a credit payment from the water company of £230, There may be a letter in the post about it, but I can only assume that I have been paying more for the water than I should have done.

I think more people should apply for a meter.

I received an email from the water company, at last acknowledging my disability, even though I have been on disability since 1992 and telling me to ignore the hosepipe ban as it doesn't apply to me! After all these years I had no idea there were concessions as well.

I printed that out before I watered the garden - in the wheelchair - in case some nosey neighbour thought to report me.

It has been a lovely few weeks.