Water meters

Meter wins in our house. We don’t be stingy with water use but with a meter it’s a fraction of the cost- was just shy of £600 per year, now paying less than £20 per month! It’s a scary thought at first, but we wouldn’t want to go back now.

Maybe ask your supplier if you can have it on a trial basis. That's what they offered me and I was so delighted at the savings that I changed for good. I thought we were high users as there was me and four teenagers using washing machine daily plus baths/showers.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I have a water meter and pay £15 a month,i use a lot of water, as wash about twice a week, have a dishwasher,i uses every other day, and 3 cats and a dog who need water bowls filling twice a day, also laminate floors which i mop every day, and 3 bedrooms,live alone
I have continually tried to get my sister to have one as she lives alone in a 1 bed bungalow, but she flatly refuses saying her neighbours have one and their bills are high, she cant see that they have higher bills, because there are 4 of them
You wont regret it, get one

I live on my own....and have saved ££££££'s by having a water meter installed.

I decided to have a water meter many years ago when I was widowed, back in the early 90s. I remarried in 2002 but even with two of us, the amount of water we use is far less than - say - a family with children using baths, washing machine daily etc. We got rid of the bath years ago and have a daily shower, washing machine 2-3 times a week. I agree with valeriej43. It is really all down to water usage. Someone living alone is going to use a lot less than a family of 4.

When I was living alone in a 4-bed house, I had a meter installed and it was well worth while. When the DSs returned from working abroad, the charges shot up. Luckily they departed to start their own lives and careers. When I doownsized to a two-up, two-down end terrace, I did an on-line questionnaire on the water company's web site and they decided that it wouldn't be worth my while, so I didn't pursue the matter.

Meter wins with me it has saved me lots of money only changed in January when I was reviewing yearly bills but definitely no brainer for me.

A big saving for us once we had the meter. Also the water company came and gave us a device for putting on the tap which also saves water. There were other things available too, for the cistern and shower but we declined those.

I am sure water meters be compulsory before too long.

BAMM2015, thank you so much for this. Certainly not a boring topic and one very close to my heart as I started investigating this only last week. I believe my usage assessment hugely exceeds my actual consumption. The first thing I have to do is pay out £105 for someone to call and see if my request is 'viable'. Still pondering whether or not it will be financially worthwhile to do that.

If there are just a couple of you, get a meter!!! It will save you loads.
We have DS1 spending June and July with us, and believe me, he doesn't pay the billsrealise how much water he uses under his endless showers! But even then, we still pay much less than "water rates".

I was in 'pleasant shock' after moving to a property with a water meter from a property that had been 'billed'
If there is only one person in a property or just two of you I would with out hesitation go for a meter.
I do not believe if a person really wants to buy your property that already has a meter this would make it, as one comments suggests, harder to sell.

Hi, there are two of us, husband has a job where I have to be washing work clothes constantly, we bathe or shower every day and don't skimp on water. We are metered and I poay anything between £79 and £100 a QUARTER , so your bill now sounds excessive BAMM2015. In this case a meter may be better for you, depending on where you live and what your particular company charges in your area.

Your bill sounds rather high for two people - it will be based on your Council Tax band and the water area you live in. I live in SW Water area which is the most expensive in the country, and we chose to have a meter, as out tax band is also quite high. When we were a couple the metered bill was about £40 a month - we have no dishwasher but a garden pond that needs topping up in summer, and a large garden where we use quite a lot for watering veg beds, sluicing down the patio, etc. Now I'm on my own it's about £30 a month and I think I'll be due a rebate.

Most water boards have some kind of reckoner to help you calculate your usage and work out whether a meter would be cheaper.

i contacted my supplier, in my case wessex water, when my monthly bill would have been almost £100 not being on a water meter.
i was told that with a water meter i would save substantially and went ahead with having a water meter fitted.
my monthly bill was £26!
that was several years ago when there was just me. now i've got my daughter and 2 grandaughters living with me so the monthly payment has gone up but not as much as non-meter people.
go for it op - contact your supplier. they will be very helpful. i did it all online by emailing their customer servicesvia their website so i had everything in writing and didn't have to rely on scribbled notes from a phone call.
it's one decision i've never regretted.

Definitely get a meter. General rule is if there are more bedrooms than occupants of the house, a meter will be cheaper.

Big reduction in our bill when we installed a metre a long time ago.

Goodness me!
That's a massive bill. Do you each have 4 showers a day and do 7 loads of laundry a week?
If you're a customer of Thames Water, as I am, then you'll be on the same tariff (there is only 1)
I pay £144 pa in monthly instalments. There is only me, retired and doing proofreading from home. Use the washing machine 3 times a fortnight, no dishwasher, shower every day.
I doubt you'd be better off with a meter.
If you want to pm me with your last and current reading or your reading from last March and today's reading together with the standing charge and waste/fresh water charges, I can give you a definitive answer.
Whatever you decide, ask your water provider.

I had a water meter fitted on a 6-months trial. My water bills are so much less now - I live on my own, bath every day (sometimes twice), use my washing machine twice a week, my dishwasher at least 4 times a week, water my garden (when we don't have rain!!), and my water bill for the last 3 months was less than I used to pay for one month. However, I wonder if when everybody has a meter it will be an opportunity for the water companies to increase their prices - but that might just me being sceptical.

Let's get this straight
You are paying the same rate for your water whether metered or not.
The difference is that you NOTICE your usage when it's metered and generally cut back.
It's not cheaper water, it's your usage that you are reducing.

We are on the lowest band of council tax, but would probably still save by having a meter installed. We choose not to, as we hope this will be a family home again one day and wouldn’t want to lumber a young couple with higher charges. And no, we do not waste water just because we could.

Have a water meter which has saved me £££!
Now thinking of installing a water softener, any ideas/ hints?

My reason for not wanting a water meter, or a smart electricity meter, is that it would cause non-stop arguments on cutting down on usage. Having DH hovering, and being told my shower was taking too long, or any other use of water or electricity was costing extra money, would probably end our marriage!

Maggie in my area when a house is sold, the new owners have to go onto a meter

My Bank advisor on a regular advice meeting I took up, noticed my Water outgoings and was amazed;

Without meter about £35 some 2-3 years ago.

He said a single person is better off with a meter.

I changed to one. My payments are £15 and the Water Co. owe me £20.

I was reluctant to change because I use my washing machine a lot as I put rugs/covers around because of the rescued dogs. I'm so glad I did change!

B9exchange My late husband was a "penny counter" too. I give you all my sympathy.