water meter

[tinkie]

is it cheaper to go on a meter

[gingejbee]

How long's a piece of string ?

[roslyn251254]

Depends how many people in your house - general rule is if you have less people than bedrooms then a water meter would be cheaper.

[buildersmate]

If you live on your own in a big house without a swimming pool - Yes
If you live as part of a commune in a tiny house and everyone enjoys a bath each night - no.

[tinkie]

Thank you for answering

[boxtops]

There are two of us in our house, we bath, use the washing machine, dish washer, use the hose in the summer, and we have saved a load by going onto a water meter. I'm currently paying £9 per month for incoming water.

[mrs.chappie]

It also helps if you are sensible with it. My stepson once had a shower lasting over an hour. I had to baton down the meter, it was spinning so fast.

(I'm joking in the second part .... serious in the first).

[gingejbee]

Sorry to be curt, but it depends on so many variables - number of people (and how profligate they are with water), garden watering, car washing etc. etc. If you are thinking of changing, contact your water company who will have more info. and a formula to help you decide.

[askyourgran]

My SIL has a meter because she lives alone, but when her daughter went to live with her for a while with her two young sons she was having a fit because of all the baths and laundry etc. I'm not sure about this but if you move into a house fitted with a water meter you cannot have the meter removed. Does that still apply?

[boxtops]

Yes I think it does gran. When we went on the meter we had so many weeks to change our mind, but I think now that once they're in, they're in.

[tinkie]

Thank you everyone

[mrs.chappie]

My OH and I prefer showers and don't often have a bath. We save a lot of cash by having a meter.

My brother lives on his own, has no washing machine or dishwasher, but gets a bath every day .... he doesn't like showers. He has ended up worse off by having a meter fitted.

[Buenchico]

If you've got Excel (or Excel Viewer or any compatible program) on your computer, click this link:
http://www.ccwater.or...10_20100419143307.xls
It will open a calculator which will enable you to estimate your bill if you get a water meter fitted. (Start by clicking on the relevant tab, at the bottom of the page, to select your water company).

If you've not got a suitable program on your PC, download and install the free Excel Viewer before using clicking on that calculator link:
http://www.microsoft....9dbc3a&displaylang=en

I've got a water meter and I've just received my quarterly bill. It's exactly the same as the previous one, £11.73 for 3 months water usage.

Chris

[mrs.chappie]

Good grief Chris .... tell us what you do (or don't do) to keep your bill so low.

[Buenchico]

Mrs C:
I'm on a low user tariff, so there are no standing charges. My daily ablutions usually consist of filling a bowl with hot water (heated on the stove and/or using an electric kettle) to shave with. Then I wash my hair with the same water. Then I put the bowl into the bath and, using a fresh face flannel each day, I stand in it for a thorough wash that's as good as any shower. I keep the bowl of water for flushing the loo later in the day.

I don't have a washing machine ('cos I use a laundrette) or a dish washer. I can't stand gardening so I never use a hose pipe (or even a watering can).

I'm not suggesting that you, Tinkie or anyone else should be quite so frugal with their use of water but my bills do indicate the savings that can be made by using water carefully.

Chris

[mrs.chappie]

Chris, your answer reminds me of something my dad (long since gone from this world) used to say.

He said that in his army days, he would get an all-over wash, then a shave in a mug full of water.

Can't quite figure out why, though ..... he died in 1967, long before water meters came into force (I presume).

[DEN53]

If you live on your own then Yes - but when we moved into our bungalow 5 years ago, there was a water meter already installed - when we got our first bill, we thought we had bought shares in the water company, it was so high.

There is just 3 of us, one of which is my 20 year old son, and our bills are definately a lot higher than in our old house which did'nt have a meter.