Water. Does a watermeter save you money?

[Alan Medic]

Anyone know how much space they take up?

[KidKruger]

Ones I've seen are about the size of a grapefruit.

[Loz]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> Anyone know how much space they take up?

They are installed underground. As KK said, the visible metal flap is about the size of a grapefruit.

[tiddles]

I think if you are a single person, or a couple, then a water meter will probable save you money. For a family , the costs will increase. My relations in Brighton had to have one, and their bills have significantly increased.

If I was looking to buy a house, I would certainly think that having a meter was a negative.

[Bellenden Belle]

Our water bills plummeted when we got a metre. We are a couple with two kids living in a three bed house. I think this may be a reflection of how little we bathe our children.

[Sue]

It seems odd to me anyway that we have gas and electricity meters as a matter of course but not water meters.

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

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> It seems odd to me anyway that we have gas and

> electricity meters as a matter of course but not

> water meters.

Problem with Water Meters is where to instal them..

If you have a supply to say a block of flats.. it is easier to have a standing charge for each flat..

Same if a house is divided into several units with a single supply into the house.

Meters for Gas and electicity can easily be installed locally..

Foxy

[ed_pete]

Not sure why it should be anymore difficult for water - the pipes are a similar size to gas and the meters are smaller.

[*Bob*]

I did one of those 'should I get a meter' comparison things. Estimated metered bill came out at ?650.

So I think I'll run a bath and forget the whole thing.

[Lazero]

In my last flat (in a block, not a conversion) I had a water meter successfully installed in the cupboard out in the hall. Not sure of the technicalities of supply, but it was straightforward for Thames Water to do. My bills went down more than 30% instantly and stayed that low for the next few years, until I moved.

They divided the bill evenly before that - so single residents were subsidising couples. Over time quite a few other residents got meters and the bills for the higher water users eventually started to become more realistic.

[Sue]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I did one of those 'should I get a meter'

> comparison things. Estimated metered bill came out

> at ?650.

>

> So I think I'll run a bath and forget the whole

> thing.

Blimey, mine was ?200 (present bill is ?400 - well, ?399 actually!!)

Maybe I should bath more often :))

I also can't understand why it would be any more difficult to have separate water meters in flats than separate gas meters.

[DulwichFox]

It is estimated that it costs between 30p and 90p to take an 150 liter bath, depending on the efficiency of your boiler. If you are taking a bath twice a day, you would use an average of 300 liters of water each day, at a daily cost of ?1.20 and an annual cost of ?438.

I take a deep bath every evening and top up for a longer soak.. so bathing alone for me works out at approx. ?220.P/A

My latest bill was ?376. so after bathing all my water usage for the year costs ?156. (43p per day)

Thats drinking water, washing during the day, washing up.. washing machine... cleaning

Thats pretty cheap considering the price of bottled water.

Cannot see a water meter being cheaper..

Foxy

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Cannot see a water meter being cheaper..

>

It might not be for you, but it is clear that for many people it is.

If it turns out not to be cheaper for me, then I will revert to the present system, but I will be very surprised if I don't save money. I'm already quite careful about not wasting water.

[ed_pete]

@Foxy - why would you include the cost of heating the water when comparing costs - that has to happen regardless of having a meter. By my crude reckoning 365 baths @ 150l per bath = approx. 55 cubic metre of water = ?125 on a meter. Standing charges and other water usage on top of this but I would reckon you would still be quids in.

[Loz]

Foxy - that's a truly awful piece of logic.

[DulwichFox]

Loz Wrote:

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> Foxy - that's a truly awful piece of logic.

It's not Logic.. It's arithmatic..

DulwichFox

[Loz]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Loz Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> > Foxy - that's a truly awful piece of logic.

>

> It's not Logic.. It's arithmatic..

Well, you've done the arithmetic correctly, but the underlying logic was wrong. As ed_pete pointed out, including the cost of heating the water in your comparative water costs is completely flawed.

[DulwichFox]

Yes you are right.. I Googled Water Charges for an average bath and somewhere in the mix came up with Gas Charges..

to heat the water... I Think ?

I have noticed though that with a Water Meter there is also a Standing charge on top of what you actually use..

No idea what that might be.. ?

Foxy

[Loz]

Just dug out my last bill from last Nov for 6 months use.

31 cubic metres used.

Water charge: ?39.40

Waste charge: ?24.44

Fixed charge: ?40.69

Total Bill: ?104.53

[adonirum]

Loz, your waste charge seems quite reasonable. My experience, of having a meter with Anglia Water, was a waste charge of 90% of usage. The other 10% was "allowed" as drinking water, although I always felt that even most of that would go back as wastage!!

I had assumed that the 90% figure was an industry norm.

[adonirum]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> There's also the consideration of what they put in

> our water. They put stuff in our water to make us

> think the way they want us to think, so they can

> control us and take over. Though this is not

> specific to water meters, admittedly.

KK, don't believe the hype regarding conspiracy theories. Even the phrase "conspiracy theory" was concocted by half a dozen blokes in grey suits sat in a darkened room.

[KidKruger]

adonirum - even my conspiracy theories have conspiracy theories...