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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 29882
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 Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 5:41 pm Post subject: Water meter |
 
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Just talked to the local water company.
When I last asked they said we wouldn't save money with a water meter. As we try not to waste water anyway, I decided against getting a water meter. No brainer really.
Asked again, as the opposite advice had more recently been given to Bagpuss's bloke when he enquired after moving into a similar home. They now say we'd save a little money.
Is there a bad side to a getting a water meter fitted? |
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Northern_Lad
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14086
Location: Somewhere
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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When you plumb in the jacuzzi for the hedgehog you'll get stung.
If you're a low user then it should only be good for you, and you're in control (to a large extent, not entirely) how much you spend on water.
The besnorkled one should bound into view soon enough. |
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RichardW
Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 5619
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Do you water the garden or use tap water for stock / other animals? If so then dont get a meter. Or do a test run by fitting your own & see what usage you realy get. i think once you have one fitted you have a short while to go back to unmetered but I think they leave the meter in any way so they get the next owner.
Justme |
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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 29882
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Justme wrote: |
Do you water the garden or use tap water for stock / other animals? If so then dont get a meter. Or do a test run by fitting your own & see what usage you realy get. i think once you have one fitted you have a short while to go back to unmetered but I think they leave the meter in any way so they get the next owner.
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Errm... We do water the garden, sometimes even with a hose, but not so much because the garden ain't all that big. The only livestock we have is a giant african land snail and a hedgehog being nursed to health before release in Spring, so they hardly count  |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 8016
Location: West Sussex
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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You may save a little money, but you may also turn into a miserable neurotic water-miser, getting ratty if a guest leaves a tap running while they brush their teeth, overfills the kettle or washes their hands too often. Also bear in mind that your cooking and wine-making activities may use more water than the "average" household.
Whilst I think it's important not to waste water I also think the £301 a year I pay for water services is a huge bargain and it isn't worth having to get really stingy with water to save a small proportion of that. I'm just very, very grateful that I've got all the clean water I need and sewerage is dealt with for me for less than a quid a day.
I shower (every other day), don't flush the loo every time (and only ever use the short flush option), turn the tap off when I'm brushing my teeth etc etc, but I do water the garden quite a lot in summer (cans, not hosepipe though) and when I have a bath once a fortnight or so it's a deep and luxurious one. |
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bagpuss
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 6872
Location: cambridge
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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what is your monthly cost without a meter? |
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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 29882
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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| bagpuss wrote: |
| what is your monthly cost without a meter? |
Fourty quid or so. |
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dottyspots
Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 286
Location: South Yorks
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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Crikey - that seems quite a bit?
Ours is £21 (plus a twice yearly charge for sewage as we're under two different water companies, but that's about £10 each time). We're a family of 6 so chances are use much more water than you? |
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alisjs
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 1497
Location: Conwy
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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I have saved loads more per month than they estimated I would. Never looked back. Go for it. |
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bagpuss
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 6872
Location: cambridge
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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| cab wrote: |
| bagpuss wrote: |
| what is your monthly cost without a meter? |
Fourty quid or so. |
we went from £50 to £15 a month |
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Helen_A
Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1536
Location: not-coding in Bletchley
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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Every house before this one has been on a meter and we have never paid more than £12 a month (and that was in the last place after a price rise).
This house has no meter and they want nearly £500 a year.... Talking to their 'useage services' its been clear that they make some basic assumpsions about a households useage that are so far in excess of us (and probably most people here! ) For example they expect that you will have a loo cistern that uses 7L and that you will flush it at least 5 times a day for each person in the house. That your washing machine will use 65L a wash, and that you run it three times a week for each person in the household, plus an extra wash for bedlinen and another for towels. That you have a dishwasher that runs twice a day using 15L each time. If you indicate taking baths they assume you fill the bath each time and take one a day. etc etc
Needless to say we are very confident that we will save lots of money by having a meter. But we won't get back any of the sum we've paid in the last 6 months that it has taken them to get round to fitting the meter, even should the meter clearly show that our useage is a lot lower than they are assuming... 
I'd say go for it Cab |
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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 29882
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| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 08 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| bagpuss wrote: |
we went from £50 to £15 a month |
As your current place is rated presumably the same as ours was when the ratings were done, thats probably very telling. A heck of a saving for us; I just wish that whenever things changed and it became economic to do this, they'd told us (I last asked the water board years ago, they advised against as the cost would have been higher). |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 8016
Location: West Sussex
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 08 9:01 am Post subject: |
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I read in a how-to-save-money article last night that a rule of thumb re water metering is that you are likely to save money if your house has more bedrooms than occupants. Though if you can save as much as Bagpuss it sounds like a no-brainer decision  |
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 19377
Location: In the pond with the frogs
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 08 9:08 am Post subject: |
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How much does it cost to get a meter fitted? |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 8016
Location: West Sussex
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 08 9:19 am Post subject: |
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| Treacodactyl wrote: |
| How much does it cost to get a meter fitted? |
Nothing usually AFAIK. |
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