Water Meters

welbeck

am a bit scared if there was a leak somewhere, the cost could rack up enormously before it was known, with a meter.

You can get your meter checked if you think bills are too high, mine checked last week, no leakage noted. Had large leak from waste pipe few weeks ago , called out plumber 3 times over a week, which accounted for higher usage. Refunded.

NotAGran55

Thank you all for your replies which have been most enlightening. Our bill is £1157 per year , so significantly higher than most of you.

Using the bedroom/resident ratio we would definitely benefit now from having a meter , despite being above average users according to the Thames Water calculator.

Thanks again.

well that's the only one greater than mine; you must live in a big house or expensive area, as i believe it's related to rateable value.
if i got a meter, it would be under the pavement outside, so not accessible to my checking it.
i do not water the garden. as i say, use v little. eat mostly cup a soup or pot noodles, sandwiches, rarely more than one large cup of coffee a day.
no dishwasher of course, and only use washing machine once a week, at most.
a neighbour wanted a meter but there wasn't a long enough straight run of pipe outside, so it couldn't be fitted.
think i may bite the bullet and request one. fingers crossed.

We looked at getting a water meter but was put off as it is apparently a bad selling point and you can`t have it taken out.

Just to update and say thanks again .

They are coming next Tuesday to fit a meter . It’s got to be cheaper surely ??‍♀️ than the £96 a month that we currently pay!

WishIwy - I too live alone and mine is approximately £25 pm

Our water meter is positioned outside on the main pavement, 41 pound month for us, much cheaper than it was before, as it was 68

I live alone and pay £23 per month, which seems high compared to some of the above.

When I moved back in 2003, I was in a large Edwardian, 50-bedroom house, also had my son and his wife staying with me (His wife was American and considered showering for less than half an hour, was just a quick wash!!(). Had garden hose, etc. etc.

I moved to 3-bed terrace house just a mile away so same borough, same water provider. The house I was moving to did NOT have a water meter, I did at my old house. I discovered that the water charge at the small house was close on DOUBLE what I had been paying with a water meter in the large house.
One of the first things I did once moved was arrange for a water meter to be installed.

Re Economising - think a meter just makes you more aware when you use water. So, I also had a garden water butt put in, and used that when watering pots, etc. instead of the hose. Learned there is no need to have tap running whilst cleanning teetch. Some people go much further, like not flushing loos after every visit. Saving grey water for use in watering garden, etc. Keeping water drained from cooking pots, etc for other uses. I even know of one person who had her washing machine plumbed so the water draining from it went into a garden butt for re-use.

Two of us. £26.00 a month to Anglian Water, mid Cambs. Dishwasher daily, shower etc. You will definitely save money.
BTW, if they find they cannot fit meter for any reason, they will still charge rate as if you had one. This happened to my neighbour.

welbeck

am a bit scared if there was a leak somewhere, the cost could rack up enormously before it was known, with a meter.

Not really, more likely to be unable to see a hidden leak without a meter, as just explained to me by the meter man, who checked for leaks, the meter jumps intermittently or has a slow run round if there are leaks.

Thank you all for your replies which have been most enlightening. Our bill is £1157 per year , so significantly higher than most of you.

Using the bedroom/resident ratio we would definitely benefit now from having a meter , despite being above average users according to the Thames Water calculator.

Thanks again.

Meanwhile you cannot change your supplier like you can with gas and electricity, where I live Anglian water is one of the most expensive in the country, because of the large rural area it supplies.

I pay £45 a month.
South West Water is most expensive authority in UK.
Neighbour just paid £350 to get leak which surfaced in garden. £350 for repair.
Meter is in pavement outside.
Water authority simply referred him to 3rd party plumbers. Struggled to get help so leak lasted a week.
SWW have ongoing costs associated with Victorian infrastructure being replaced to enable clean bathing water off our coasts.
Check meter for leaks regularly. If no water in use and meter ticking over, you have a leak!

My own economic use of water has nothing to do with money.
I think of it as a very precious resource and should not be wasted.

We pay around £20 p.m. We rarely bath and our small garden gets watered when needed. We do, however, have DS1 here for the 3 summer months, and he wouldn’t recognise saving water if it hit him in the face.
I think having a meter benefits large families as they probably use more than the “average” allowance on water rates.

My neighbour was contacted by the water board because they noticed from her meter readings that her water consumption had gone up. She lies alone.
They sent people to check for leaks: and yes, there were.

Welbeck
That must be one enormous garden you have. £700 per year, wow ?

We were shocked when we moved into this house to find our water bill plummeted with a water meter. We were paying way over the odds for two of us in our last house. It did make me a bit paranoid until I got used to it!

Wellbeck £700 a year!!! living on your own is exorbitant are you sure you’re not paying for leaks etc I pay a fraction of that and do have an outside tap for watering the garden in the summer months I shower every day

oopsadaisy mine is not in my house it’s in my garden and you wouldn’t know if the leak was underground

Water meter already installed in new home, only me, 33 per month. My friend and daughter, huge garden, two dogs also need bathing as they get everywhere, 22 per month. They are checking my meter and for possible leaks. I think we have all used more water over the last year though.

I live alone and pay about £11 a month

Welbeck and EllenVannin, get a plumber in to check the pipes between where the meter will be and your taps. It won't involve any excavation.

You can always monitor your daily water consumption and test whether the meter is moving when every water using device in the house is turned off.

Our meter has been in for 25 years and everything is till working perfectly. The probability of a meter malfunction or major leak is very low.

If there are leaks in your underground pipes the sooner they are sorted the better. Our neighbour in our previous house had a unknown leak in an underground pipe near her back door that excavated a large hole underground and the corner of the house started to subside into it and had to be underpinned(after the pipe had been fixed)..

welbeck

mine is over £700 a year, just me, don't use much. no meter.

I would get a meter! I think you can have it for a year and go back to old type billing if it isn’t cost effective.

Our meter is not in our house. It is actually in the middle of the pavement outside.

The meter is in your house, I think you would know if there was a leak!

Actually I’m assuming that the meter would be in your home, ours is under our kitchen sink........

am a bit scared if there was a leak somewhere, the cost could rack up enormously before it was known, with a meter.