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Water meters

Darby,
When a property changes hands,the water company's install a metre as a matter of course, also all new houses are metered.
The water companys have done their sums,my daughter with 4 teenage children wishes she could pay a set rate,but the metre was installed when she moved in to her house.
If you are just a couple a metre is far cheaper.
 
Funnily enough, that is the way we used to think until we realised we were actually being ripped off, paying the same as houses with full families in. We have not altered the way we used water and we never think of the meter, we just use as normal and are still paying much less. I hear what you say about prices, but if that does happen, I am sure I will be long gone, because they cannot do it suddenly, it will be done over a period of time.
 
Ray where does that happen? Not here nor where my daughter lives
 
Some people opting for a meter will make more savings than others simply because of the rateable value of your property, that's why mines £511 for e.g it's a four bed bungalow band D. Someone in a two bed terrace property band A will have a much lower rateable value in the first place.
Anyhow I just signed up & should hear in the next five days :D

Just for information a cubic Metre of water is 220 Gallons or 1000 Litres approx
 
i've been toled that if you pay for the year in one go you get so much off the bill, does anyone know anything about it.
 
I have had a STWB meter now for about five years and must have saved well over a £1000 in that time,
the meters are now digital of course, they fit a small round black box on your outside wall so they not have come inside to read it, takes about two seconds to read, in my humble opinion whatever council tax
band you are in, Im in D, you will save money . Bernard
 
My council tax band is E and we pay about £170 a year the guy next door not on a meter is paying around £500
 
I agree with Bernard. If you have more bedrooms thant people you will save money. We are also Band D - we have a four bedroomed house. We used to pay £64 a month, which x 8 (monthly payments) is £512. I have consulted my husband as he pays all the bills, and we now pay £28 per month. I suspect that is over 12 months, rather than 8. I am not very good as maths, but even I can see that that is a substantial saving.
 
Had the call a couple of hours ago, they are coming Monday morning to fit the new meter, they are going to base the initial monthly payment on the online calculator I did & then reset it ( hopefully even lower :)) after the first reading in 6 months.
The only thing I can see that actually wastes water is running the kitchen hot tap & waiting for it to actually get hot & I suppose that's what everyone gets unless the boiler is right next to the sink.
 
That cold water is known as a 'dead leg' I am told (by a man who knows) and yes, it's the only bit that bothers me. Our dead leg is quite a long one. Our meter was read and a new calculation done after three months, and now we are waiting until May for the final adjustment. I am so pleased we took the plunge.
 
Shortie,
The lengh of the "dead leg" would depend on the type of boiler,ours is a combie,and is very fast.
However, I always make a point of filling the kettle,whilst waiting for the water to run hot.
I am not mean but dont like waste...:rolleyes:
 
Yes, Ray, you are right. It also depends on where the hot water cylinder is, and outs is a very long way from either the kitchen or the laundry room (where I use a lot of hot water). With a combination boiler you don't have a hot water cylinder - one of the reasons my husband (a heating engineer since 1963) will not countenance one, ever. Despite many people being told they 'have' to have a combi boiler, the true fact is there is an alternative.

Our boiler, a cast iron Glow Worm is 28 years old and running (so far) like a dream. Hopefullly there will be another year or two of service in it, but hubby has been talking to manufacturers about news ones, 'just in case'.
 
Shortie,
Our plumbing is very compact,it's a smaller house,and our set up was fitted by my brother-in-law,who would probably have been doing his apprenticeship at the same time as your husband,(just retired).However,my daughters plumbing,in a much larger house,is a nightmare.When I went to fit some new taps in one of her bathrooms,I turned off every stop cock to be found,but still managed to cause a flood.
My daughter is not the panicky kind,but the dog went a bit mental.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Ray, thi smade me laugh, just what I need this morning! My husband is not a fitter, however, he is a bit like Frank Spencer, what he touches turns into a total mess! He did the 5 year draughtsmans' apprenticeship, and from then went into the design and contracting side. Design went out of the window later, when very large projects came along. He is good with people, and had a workforce (inside and outside staff) of 400, working on hospitals, prisons and schools, etc. He knows what bits go where, and what is needed when something is broken, but I would never, ever ask him to do a job, my house would be ruined!!!!!
 
Ray,
You are right you have to be sensible with water and the money you save is better in your pocket to spend on other things than in the water boads pocket.
 
When we lived in the South West we had a water meter fitted (SW Water is SO expensive). Now we live in the midlands and have a combi boiler - but it takes so long for the hot water to come through we must waste loads of cold water, I swear we could fill the sink twice over before the hot water comes through! Probably fitting a new boiler would be the best bet, but soooo expensive and this one works fine once it gets going. It's stopped us fitting a meter though and Severn Trent is not TOO bad for our three bed detached.
 
I have just had a word with the husband on this, and he said it is possible your dead leg water waste is not as much as you think it is. The reason is that a combi restricts the flow of water, in order to be able to heat it (our dead leg is not only very long, it is very fast running water). You are probably not wasting as much water as we are with our conventional boiler. Our kitchen is at the back of our house, the hot water cylinder is front-of-middle, so it is a long time at full flow coming through, and yet we still have saved a heck of a lot of money. I think you can change your mind about a meter within a given period, so perhaps you should look up the web site for your water company and see if you can see what the rules are. I believe we have up to a year, but there is no going back for us.
 
We have a spanky new boiler & hot water cylinder courtesy of Warmfront, It takes less than 20 minutes a day to heat the tank to very hot indeed & it makes me wonder if Combi's spend more time than that during the day on & off to run hot water. The only advantage I can see is that you don't need a header tank & all the stuff that usually goes in the loft.
Our new cylinder is a fair run to the kitchen but directly over the bathroom, our old one with traditional lagging couldn't keep the water hot like our new expanded foam one does. :)
Combi's are so complicated & with so many ridiculously expensive parts that can fail that I would never consider another as the one we had at our last house was dire, my sister was recently quoted a repair that was more than the cost of the same model new boiler:boohoo:
 
I had a meter fitted about 3 yrs ago; don't know how much I've saved as haven't compared with the standard rates, but assume it must be cheaper - even though i also have a long 'dead leg' before the hot water gets through. But for the first 2 years the meter was not read - I had estimated bills for every quarter, and then the meter was read only once last year. I get a bit peeved because part of the cost I pay is SUPPOSED to be to cover the cost of reading meters !! (so there are extra costs that I assume those on standard water rates don't have). The 'used water' part of the bill is very high - & by far the largest amount. Anybody going to a meter will still have to pay this

Sorry to say, I'm cynical enough to think that if everyone goes onto meters, then the water companies will just increase the costs of the water services - coz they will need to pay for the installation of meters and and their wages/upkeep costs, even allowing for reduced consumption.
 
I don't agree entirely Millie - with a meter you are paying for what you use. Those people with six to a house will pay more, and those with two to a house will pay less. Stands to sense that it will balance out eventually - although with this country you can never be sure of anything. I have a neighbour who still has two of his children at home - their water consumption is huge, both children (weil into their twenties) bring friends to stay the night, wear far more clothes than we two do, so much more washing. Their income is also larger, so I feel it has to be more fair the metered way. Only time will tell, though.
 
Unfortunatly the more water that goes through the meter the more sewerage you have to pay for.

With the ' dead leg water' i would put a bucket under the tap and use the water else were like down the loo.
 
You can guarantee that if usage drops then profits will drop so the price will slowly rise to compensate. The same thing will apply to electric & gas, all this saving energy is all well & good but it will end up with ' the more we save the more we pay'
Regardless of your political views I think Selling off & privatising our utilities was one of the worst decisions ever made
 
I hear some companies are having different rates for Summer and Winter usage, so I guess once we all have them they will freely manipulate the tariffs..
 
izzy eckerslike said:
You can guarantee that if usage drops then profits will drop so the price will slowly rise to compensate. The same thing will apply to electric & gas, all this saving energy is all well & good but it will end up with ' the more we save the more we pay'
Regardless of your political views I think Selling off & privatising our utilities was one of the worst decisions ever made
Click to expand...

Agreed
 
Hi Izzy. I can't disagree with your comments on water prices, but if you link useage to price people will think twice before wasting water.

Then if don't consume so much water the power need to pump water to your home, and sewage disposal could help to off set the water charges win win, this will also help carbon emmisions.

Also less capital investment will be needed to provide long term storage, less countryside being flooded.

Down here in the South West people use water as a valueable resource, because are bills are the are the worst in the country, because we have to pay to keep all the beaches clean for when the likes of yourselve holiday down here Devon has more coast line than any other county.

You don't see people down here leaving there sprinklers on all day, most people down store there rain water in 2/3 butts for the gardens, I even wash my car with but water from the butts.

Yes Izzy I moved from the Sutton Coldfield 4 years ago after living in the Birmingham Area for 68 years so I do know how easy it is in the Midlands to waste water because I didn't have a meter.

Hope I have given you some food forthought and realize how fortunate you are living in the Midlands, but I'll be honest I wouldn't change places, Devon a wonderfull County and the people here complement it to.

Ray
 
Last edited:
Ray Griffiths said:
Hi Izzy. I can't disagree with your comments on water prices, but if you link useage to price people will think twice before wasting water.

Then if don't consume so much water the power need to pump water to your home, and sewage disposal could help to off set the water charges win win, this will also help carbon emmisions.

Also less capital investment will be needed to provide long term storage, less countryside being flooded.

Down here in the South West people use water as a valueable resource, because are bills are the are the worst in the country, because we have to pay to keep all the beaches clean for when the likes of yourselve holiday down here Devon has more coast line than any other county.

You don't see people down here leaving there sprinklers on all day, most people down store there rain water in 2/3 butts for the gardens, I even wash my car with but water from the butts.

Yes Izzy I moved from the Sutton Coldfield 4 years ago after living in the Birmingham Area for 68 years so I do know how easy it is in the Midlands to waste water because I didn't have a meter.

Hope I have given you some food forthought and realize how fortunate you are living in the Midlands, but I'll be honest I wouldn't change places, Devon a wonderfull County and the people here complement it to.

Ray
Click to expand...

Sounds like one hell of a generalization to me.
 
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