Water Meters

[Fork]

We have a water meter at home and our monthly bill is almost £48.

Does anyone think this is steep?

We do not have an outside tap......a good 80% of our laundry is done by the mother in law,bless her.

We do not bathe....we only shower.

We have a dishwasher.

One of our friends have a family with 4 adults....the washing machine on everyday...they take baths....have an outside tap and wash their cars at home....they also use a dishwasher and their monthly bill is £40

What are we doing wrong?

[Fork]

[galina]

We have a water meter at home and our monthly bill is almost £48.

Does anyone think this is steep?

We do not have an outside tap......a good 80% of our laundry is done by the mother in law,bless her.

We do not bathe....we only shower.

We have a dishwasher.

One of our friends have a family with 4 adults....the washing machine on everyday...they take baths....have an outside tap and wash their cars at home....they also use a dishwasher and their monthly bill is £40

What are we doing wrong?

Possibly nothing.  Prices vary.  You need to look at how much water you have actually used and compare that.  If that is still very high, you need to consider a leak.  Can you switch off all taps etc, wait until cisterns are full and go out and see whether the water meter is still going round?  Our meter is near the road and OH checks it from time to time.

Hope it's nothing untoward ......

[Bill Door]

Hmmm!

Do you mean that you have a direct debit for £48 a month.  Or do you mean that the water company invoices you for £48 a month?  We pay monthly and estimates are done each quarter.  They read the meter about every 12 months and then we have a reckoning and change the direct debit to suit.  We currently pay £12 a month and we think we are in credit.

Have you looked at your last water bill to see what the charge is?

Does the last bill show you are in credit (they owe you money)?

I think you need to do regular readings to see what you are using and then work out the cost.  If it is aleak then do the check like galina said and probably go shopping for an hour or three with the house empty.

best wishes
Bill

[cornykev]

My Dads was sky high when they fitted his, they promised to look for leaks and when they finally checked, he was paying for next doors as well as they could only fit one meter, something to do with them both being the only two cottages.    ??? ??? ???

[picman]

My Dad had a  water bill for £99 for a quarter. he lived on his own, and used very little, I turned every tap etc off in his flat, looked at meter , it was whizzing round on its own.....eventually he paid £9... meter got changed.

[ACE]

I pay between £120 and £150 a year on the house meter. No scrimping either.

[Sally A]

Mine is about £50 a month, but comparing that to the standard water rates on the rateable value of the property (Band E) isn't too far away from the mark.

What really gets my goat is the fact I have to run about a gallon of water in the sink before the boiler heats up (when the heating is off), but I just take that opportunity to fill up the kettle and watering can for the greenhouse.

I could give hubby a big slap, as when he uses the pressure washer, he tends to forget the tap is on. GRRR!!!

[Ellen K]

Mine is about £250/year and I live on my own.

It seems a lot to pay but when I look at the bill, with the standing charge and the charge for surface water drainage, the mains water I actually use seems to be a small part of the bill.

[Toadspawn]

I requested a water but fortunately like my neighbour I was informed it was not possible to install one as the group of four adjacent houses are all on the same feeder pipe. This means my water bill will now be reduced from £206 per year to £110 per year.  I live on my own, shower and no bath and washing machine and dishwasher on perhaps once a week. My hosepipe will be able to work overtime now!!

[dtw]

I'm in a similar situation, I can't have one fitted due to the stopcock being too near to a BT hole in the ground. I get a single person's rate of only £18 a month.
I don't have to worry about having a bath or using the hose. :)

If you've got a water butt, you can get a rebate on the charge made for rainwater disposal.
It's not much, but worth doing, just to get one over on them.

[Fork]

Thanks for all your replies...I pay by direct debit monthly...I think I will make sure everything is turned off and then listen to see if I can hear the meter running!

[Urlybird]

I'm not on a meter, so if anyone wants some water , , , , ,  :D

[Nigel B]

I'm not on a meter, so if anyone wants some water , , , , ,  :D

Me neither.... :D I'm just cleaning and re-filling the garden pond.....  8)

[Urlybird]

I'm not on a meter, so if anyone wants some water , , , , ,  :D

Me neither.... :D I'm just cleaning and re-filling the garden pond.....  8)

I did that at the begining of the week, today i washed all the cars, watered the lawns, and washed the roof  :P

[Nigel B]

Naughty innit?
:D

[Urlybird]

Naughty innit?
:D

Hehehehe Yep, but thats whats so good innit

[zigzig]

Hard that one. It really is.

I worked with a lady who had just bought a new house and because it was new she had to have her water metered. She lived with two teen age daugheters and her bill was about the same as mine with just us two.

My mate who lives alone has gone on to the meter and she pays 70% of what her next door does for  two  of them

Mind you she is a keen gardener and since she went on the meter is using next door's out door tap to water her garden since they dont think a meter would benifit them.

It is hard to gauge but my view is that if I have a fixed price fee to pay, at least I know how much it is. If I go on the meter and there is a leak (not my fault) I could have a huge bill. Better the devil you know.

[Fork]

I asked my neighbour if she would allow me to use her hosepipe...she said yes but missunderstood me....when I explained it still needed to be attached to her outside tap she flatly refused!!

She will be out there now atering everything in site with her hosepipe...including her trees!!!