water meters

[dondons]

I have just had a water meter installed and will be paying my bill on the amount I use. Exactly one month after it was installed I checked it and it read 6 Is this excessive? Just about right ? Or less than one would expect? The house is occupied by 2 people

[scoob101]

Water meters read in cubic meters of water (1000 litres) so you have used 6000 litres of water in one month, this sounds a little high for only 2 people.

Each unit costs approx �3.00 each (give or take a few pence), If you havent been using a hose pipe excessively in the previous month then I would contact your water provider and ask them to check for leaks on your incoming supply (this only applies if the meter is below ground in an ebco box or similar. If the meter is above ground on your point of entry then you may have a different problem.)

I would estimate that an average couple in an average house should use 2 to 3 units a month and an absolute maximum of 4 units, you need this checked out.

[dondons]

Thanks scoob101 you've given me food for thought! There IS a puddle at the bottom of the meter box so the bloomin' thing could be leaking ( do you think it should be dry at the bottom?)

[scoob101]

Not allways, normal ground water can hold there if we ve had lots of rain.
Like I said its not excessively high but I would get it checked, one way of checking is to switch your internal stop tap off and then watch the meter to see if any of the digits are moving.

[Buenchico]

6 cubic metres doesn't seem a great deal of water to me. Let's try to visualise it:

A smallish single bedroom (of the size that many people would use as a 'guest room') might be 4m by 3m. Try to imagine that bedroom (with a suitably watertight floor!) flooded to around knee height (about 0.5m). That's how much water you've used in a month for baths/showers, flushing the toilet, in the washing machine, in the dishwasher (if any), for cooking and drinking., for cleaning the house, etc.

Scoob101 seems to be paying quite a high price for water. The standard tariff with Anglia Water is just a shade over �2.50 per cubic metre. (That's arrived at by adding together the water and sewerage charges):
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/index.php?sectio nid=35&parentid=14&contentid=61&pager=1#ptop

They also offer a 'SoLow' tariff, which is intended for very light users of water. The criterion for qualifying for this tariff is consumption of less than 75 cubic metres of water per year (which equates to 6� cubic metres per month). On this tariff, customers are charged nearer to �3 per cubic metre but they still stand to gain because the standing charges are waived:
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/index.php?sectio nid=35&parentid=14&contentid=62&pager=1#ptop

If your supplier offers a 'SoLow' rate, or similar, it would be worth monitoring your water usage and doing the sums to see which tariff is the best one for you.

Chris

[buildersmate]

For two of us, my household uses an average of 150 litres per day. This is excluding anything on the garden, which doesn't pass over (what is) my own personal water meter. This seems to match Scooby's view on usage.

[Disco Fever]

No you don't but once you've got one you can't get it taken out....

[sara3]

in my area you don't pay to have the meter fitted, and have the option to change back to standard charges within.... I think it's a year.

[sara3]

that's about what I've been paying. just had the meter fitted (about 6 weeks ago) and expect to see a reduction.

[Jugglering]

I have just asked for a water meter to be installed - there's only lil ol'me and two beasties (furry, feline variety) and we pay over �450 per annum ... I'm sure I will save a lot of money being on a meter. No baths or garden hoses/sprinklers are involved either.... All I have to do is persuade the cats that they really do not want to fill the swimming pool yet again (only joking)... lol

[chas2008]

had a meter fitted over 10 years ago, best thing we did, my bills are still less than 50% of what ther were then..people get this idea that once a meter is fitted the cost will go up. they are so wrong..

[Brooksy]

My experience of a meter installed 2 years ago is that I`ve saved about �225 per annum compared to the old rateable value system. We appear to average 2.3 units per week (3 of us) over the year. I do water the veggie patch when my 5 water butts are empty.

[dondons]

Thanks to everyone who's replied. It's been a very informative exercise!! I shall be monitoring my usage carefully - but tht is what instaling watermeters is all about isn't it? I hope to be saving money as well so " save water, bath with a friend " will be my mantra from now on !