Would you recommend a water meter?

Question

I currently live in a flat and I'm paying severn trent £44 per month. Does anyone out there hava a water meter and woudl you recommend getting one?

I'm a single female as well.

Answer 1

Yes, if you can be responsible about water usage.

However, you should know that what will be metered is the water supplied to your house.

Your water bill not only includes water supplied to your house, but also other things like treatment of sewage.

Hence the other things in your bill cannot ever be reduced by using less water, so you cannot save money.

You have to study your bill. See what % is for "mains water rateable value charge". Say this is 34% (mine is), then if you use 10% less water, then your bill can be reduced by 10% of 34%, which is 3.4%.

I don't know if you have to pay to have a meter fitted, but if you save 3.4% on your water bill (£18 per year), it may take a long time to pay for the water meter.

Maybe if you include interest (on the money paid for the water meter), and depreciation of the meter (as it won't last forever), You may never recover the cost of the meter.

Another factor is how much water you really use, you need to calculate this, know the cost per unit of water, and see how your calculated annual usage compares to your present "water rateable value charge" part of your annual bill.

People mistakenly believe that in theory if you use no water you pay no bill, however if I used no water at my house, I would still get a bill of £350 per year, for those parts of the water bill that relate to other items than supply of water.

Answer 2

Yes, would highly recommend a water meter. Example: daughter's boyfriend had same problem as you, living in flat single person paying out every month £70 x 12 = £840 per year! contacted South West Water, inspector came to look over flat, not possible to have meter not able to isolate each flat from mains - reduced bill to £220 per year! Had been paying for whole property! Advice - contact your water supplier as they don't know your circumstances unless you tell them. My home has been on water meter 2 years - saving £140 per year, makes a lot of difference and I have 3 bed semi-det house with 3 adults. No charge for water meter either. No hassle having meter 'read' this is outside the property. It really does make sense to go for a meter. also, it makes one aware of how much water one wastes, and then you get great satisfaction when you realise exactly how much water you are saving by not being wasteful. Hope this makes sense to you.

Answer 3

It really depends on how careful you are with your water. I like to have the tap running when i clean my teeth and also when i wash up so I can rinse the dishes before putting them onto the draining board. Therefore I would not personally go for a water meter because I am not careful with the amount I use and i don't think it would save me money. However, if you are a careful, sparing person, out at work all day, only 1 shower per day - i think it could save you money. They say that if you have more bedrooms than people living in your property, a water meter should save you money. £44 does seem a lot. I live in a 3 bed house and I pay £50 a month.

Answer 4

I live in a 2/3 bedroom flat with my young son. With a water meter installed I have to watch my water usage as its actually more expensive over the cheaper £258 water rateable value per year if one wasn't installed. You cant have them taken out either. Also if your on any benefits they have the power to take money out of your account if you don't pay your bill on time. They are really devious.

Answer 5

I am in Anglian Water area and had a water meter installed many years ago to save on costs. My annual water bill for this property would be about £300 per year, I currently pay £84 per year. Being on a water meter has made me more aware of where I can save on water usage - I shower instead of taking baths & use only "A" rated appliances. I would recommend a water meter if you want to save on costs but you may need to adjust slightly how you use your water.

Answer 6

Yes I would .Do not believe people when they tell you its costs more. I have a family of 5 and our bills are an average on a meter of £55 per quarter! (every 3 months)
Before we moved we were paying that per month(not on a meter!)

Answer 7

As long as you don't use loads of Water a meter would cut you bills.
I have one at work, so only several cups of T a day plus washing up & W.C.
I pay about £17 a quarter plus standard water rate twice a year as everone does.
Hope this helps you to decide.

Answer 8

I believe a water meter can work out cheaper for single people, phone your water company and check out your options

Answer 9

With a meter you only use what you pay for

Answer 10

Yes.