Water meters

I think that every home should have a water meter, and pay
for what you actually use.

We would think it odd if we didn’t pay for what electricity or gas we used as individual households.

Why is water any different?

I believe it’s standard for all new properties now have water meters…

Years ago if you moved in to a house which had a water meter you had to keep it. We had to 20yrs ago in our 1935 property. Having said that we pay less than our neighbour who doesn’t have a meter.

of course they should pay for what they use.

Who do you think should subsidise their water use?

I like having a water meter, it makes me more considerate of domestic water and I save water whenever I can. It is a precious commodity, not to be wasted with sprinklers and hot tubs

Most (if not all) water companies install a meter when there's a change of occupier. What's the problem?

in scotland we don't have water meters, our water is part of our council tax, we have adverts asking us to save water and asking us to drink water rather than buy plastic bottled water. i fill old bottles from the tap and keep in the fridge.

Since I switched over to the water meter my bill halved straight away.

We had a meter put in many years ago and the cost was a quarter of the water rates. We have a cess pit which is huge and rarely needs emptying so I only pay for that about every five to six years, instead of the cost being added to the water rates. The man who does the emptying tells me that newer, preformed cess pits are very much smaller and need emptying more frequently, but the cost is still less than having the cost included in the water rates.

DaisyAlice, I doubt that their expenditure will increase - in fact, it may well be less. We are in a water-stressed area (Thames) and it's standard practice to have a metered bill when you move house. Customers are gradually changed over to a metered bill, (area by area) anyway, after a year of comparison.

I wasn't suggesting that my daughter shouldn't pay for the water she uses or that it is 'a problem'. It was merely the fact that this was done without her being informed. Thank you Hetty58 for your kind post.

I can't have a water meter here, because it's not a suitable property for it to be fitted for some reason I"m not clear about, my husband knows more, but even with only 2 of use here we pay more than my AC who has a water meter

Ailsa43

I can't have a water meter here, because it's not a suitable property for it to be fitted for some reason I"m not clear about, my husband knows more, but even with only 2 of use here we pay more than my AC who has a water meter

If you are not able to have a water meter fitted, for whatever reason, you can ask your water company to assess how much better off you would be if you could have one, and they can redo your bills based on that.

A friend was in this position, someone came out and agreed yes, not possible to have a meter as she was on a shared system with neighbour. She now pays about £200 a year less for her water, under the estimated bill..

This is in England, not sure if it applies elsewhere.

Water meters have been compulsory in new houses for decades.

Anyway, even if you do not have a water meter, you still get a bill for your water, it is just that it is based on the rateable value of the house not your actual consumption, so the OP's daughter would get a water bill, whether she has a meter or not. It is just that if you have a water meter your bill will be lower than it would be without a meter.

We have been householders in 6 different houses over more than 50 years and have always had a water bill, whether we had a meter or not.

I had a meter put in recently and now pay about 40% of what I was paying previously.

I like having a water meter

Of course we should pay for the water we use, no different to any other utility.
With climate change this cannot be other than absolutely the way to go.

DaisyAlice I get your point, but just wonder why your DD expected to be told that she would have water bills to pay. Was she told specifically that she would need to pay gas and electricity bills and Council Tax? And didn't she realise that utility companies would bill her direct for all services?

And, as so many have said, having a water meter leads to a dramatic fall in water costs. Ours halved when we had a meter installed. if your daughter's budget is tight - and it usually is, when you buy your first home, I wuold have expected her to be delighted to have a water meter, so that she only pays for the water she uses.

We have a water meter and it works out cheaper as we only pay for what we use. I wish the water companies could be renationalised. At present the companies are making vast, monopolistic profits and failing to invest in modern sewage treatment to the detriment of our rivers.

I’ve just checked my water account to find it’s been reduced again I was paying £47 pm before I switched I’m now going to be paying £15 pm, that’s less than one third of what I paid unmetered. That’s a result.

I ordered a water meter 21 years ago when I moved into this house. They were far less usual then and as a single household I was tired of subsidising families through council tax, water rates and so on. People should pay for what they use rather than being propped up by their neighbours. Compulsary water meters might encourage people to thinhk more responsibly about how much they use - and the number of children they are going to bring into the world to squander its resources.

I was paying over £95 a month for my water bill until I had a meter fitted. My bill then dropped to around £4.50 until my usage was established and then it was re-assessed. I now pay £20 a month.
I wouldn't have considered having a water meter until I read about the potential savings on a previous thread on here.

Many thanks Gransnet!

Our son fitted a water meter when he built our new kitchen the saving has been very noticeable. It’s makes sense pay for what you use and it does encourage us to waste less.

I’ve had a water meter for years. I pay £20 a month, while my unmetered neighbour pays £38 for similar usage. It’s really a no-brainer.
The ‘rule of thumb’ used to be that if the number of residents was less than the number of bedrooms in a property, a meter would mean cheaper bills. It also does make people more conscious of such a precious resource too.

I just received my water bill and it is from the second most expensive company out of 12 areas in England. I have been mindful as always re usage and am pleased that it works out at £97 for six months ie £16 a month. Single person. New build with water meter