We’re moving to a house with a water meter

[Bobsyer]

We’re a family of five that currently pay £35 a month (United Utilities). In the searches it says the house we’re moving to is metered. I guess that makes sense as for years it’s been one person living there on her own - but we’re a family of five, two of whom are almost teens.

Can anyone offer any insight into how much it costs them on a meter?

Looks like despite starting the process in April we’ll have to pay stamp duty as the vendors solicitors have been so shit, and when I read this yesterday it immediately worried me. The house is much bigger so was expecting electricity and gas to be more expensive but hadn’t counted on water.

Everything about this move is stressing me out I’m getting so little sleep.

So - anyway. We obviously have a washing machine, we have a small dishwasher used at least once sometimes twice daily, daily showers for five - oh yes and there’s a garden too.

Am I going to be bankrupting myself to pay for water?!

We are similar to you and pay £75 per month.

No, it’ll be fine. We are on a meter and pay £30 a month for a family of five including teens.

Family of 3 but with big garden. All have showers twice a day ,washing machine on every day and water the garden a lot. £35 a month. I tried to really watch what we used once and knocked it down to £30.

Single occupant and pay £30 a month to Wessex Water, I am out all day at work and do three washing loads at the weekend and quick showers twice a day plus the usual cleaning etc.
I don’t use a lot
They charge by the cubic litre I think

There's a calculator here
www.ccwater.org.uk/watermetercalculator/#

You can't really compare area to area. Some water companies can be almost double the price of other areas. I know Cornwall have really high water charges.

We pay £45 for 3 people in a 3 bed semi with a small garden.

Metering water is the fair way to go though and will make you more conscious of the water you are using so you won't waste any. Get water butts for the garden, take shorter showers etc....

A bigger house would have higher water rates anyway.
We are 4, but DH showers twice a day. Similar yo yoh with washing and dishwasher. Dont water the garden, but do have a waterbutt for plants in pots.
£37/month, and aparently above average.

Its important you look at the local water company charges. People will tell you what they are paying, but it varies a lot across the country. How many bedrooms does the house you're moving to have? A meter will usually save you money if there are the same number of bedrooms or more as there are people. But if you're moving from a 3 bed house on rateable value you might find it costs you more on a meter.

Ok this is heartening.

Forgot it’s an electric shower which we don’t have now - any idea if that’s better/worse?!

We also want to put a plumbed in fridge with water/ice maker when we remodel - might have to reconsider that now!

I guess it’s a case of ‘wait and see’. Gah I HATE this I’m never moving again!

Basic electric showers are fine, it's power showers that use shed loads of water.

Can you ask the agents to find out what the current owners pay so you geta rough idea?

Can't see an issue with a plumbed in fridge. Most people with higher water bills are watering huge gardens all summer, filling hot tubs, twice daily showers and baths, that kind of thing. Modern dishwashers and washing machines are highly water efficient, and the amount a fridge would use is just what you'd drink and use for ice anyway.

Have checked and UU do have a calc so have done a couple.

The attached assumes we use our half size dishwasher once a day, wash up once a week, shower 30 times a week at 5 mins per go, never wash the car, never use a hosepipe.

Awesome :(

I was expecting an increase but not more than double what I’m paying now.

I don't think a plumbed in fridge will significantly impact your water bill.

Things that will significantly impact it are stuff like watering your lawn, regularly filling and refilling a big paddling pool in the summer, or watering huge loads of flowers or having frequent deep baths/long showers.

Water costs do vary massively across the country though, so look up your own water board.

Are you moving from a much smaller house? That seems like a big jump from your current rateable value. Maybe the way to look at it is to be grateful you haven't been paying for your actual usage until now

I don't think I have ever paid less than £13 per person per month for water though.

£35 * 12 would be £420. 812/12 = £67 per month, which is about £13 per person. So it doesn't feel crazy to me? That's 50p per person per day for clean fresh water for drinking and washing as well as drainage.

I do see it's a big increase, but what you pay at the moment seems very low?

you will be fine.
there are lots of water saving measures you can take like using the eco settings if the washer and disheasher, timers on the shower, low flush loos, rainwater collection for the garden.

It’s actually £37~ across ten months of the year. Not that it makes too much of a difference!

Yes we are moving from a very small three bed terrace to a large 3 bed semi with garden.

Oh well, it’s done now. I’m not going to stop the purchase for this, it was just unexpected, and admittedly not something I had thought of.

We’ll make it work, we’ll have to, just surprising really!

We were going to do the kitchen first but I’m thinking now better to do the bathroom - it’s a turquoise bathroom suite which gives you an idea of how old it is lol!

Showering 30 times a weeks seems a lot. Is that right? What difference does reducing that make?

@SwedishEdith

Showering 30 times a weeks seems a lot. Is that right? What difference does reducing that make?

Ignore me - 5 x 7 isn't a lot

Don't get a power shower and you'll be fine. There's all sorts of showers with eco settings theses days.

If the property is metered and also on mains drainage then the sewerage bill (or part of the bill if its the same service provider) will mirror the water supply bill.
So for every 100 litres you draw into the house they calculate that 95 litres goes back down the sewer (5%lost by other means). So the less you use the cheaper both sides will be.
The other thing to know is the standing charge tends to be a bit more expensive than a rateable value supply because of the need for meter readers. (The waste standing charge is always higher than supply because waste water is more expensive to treat).
You may be able to get water saving gizmos from your water company to help keep the bills down.

5 of us on a water meter is £46 per month. We all shower/bath daily, dishwasher and washing machine on often multiple times a day and we have a hot tub!

As has already been said you really cannot compare areas as some are much higher than others.

As luck (?) would have it our washing machine has just gone up in smoke so I guess we can look to find a more efficient one. Awesome timing though