StuG III Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I know. Its shocking. Actually having to pay for the stuff you use! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/10234640/Millions-face-higher-bills-under-plans-for-compulsory-water-meters.html Water companies across a third of the country will be required to consider fitting all properties in their areas with a water meter and billing customers for every drop they use. Its horrendous. Customers will have to pay for it instead of relying on their fellow citizens to pay for it instead. Right, thats it. I'm moving to Abu Dhabi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkman Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 As a side note, it would amaze me if the British nation had standard water meters fitted, instead of smart water meters. I mean, if you're going to do it nationwide, surely use the opportunity to do it right? Secondly... Millions of families face higher bills under proposals to fit homes with compulsory water meters, after ministers ruled that reservoirs are at risk of running dry. So fitting water meters is apparently the solution to reservoirs running dry? Interesting. So it's not water companies losing huge quantities of water through leakage then? And by billing people more (the implication) they will use less water? Or maybe the increased revenue will help pay for the leakage... that's the more likely answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'm thinking of getting a water meter! It's only me here, and I have a regular bath in April and October! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Don't get one if your a gardener. It will restrict your hobby. Wait till fracking kicks off on the scale expected. its going to get a lot worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Another reason not to chase a big expensive house as big expensive houses are just becoming unaffordable to run - even if you can afford the mortgage on one. Between electricity/gas and water, and add in maintenance, then such houses are a nightmare. What p*sses me off is that I am increasingly hearing from people who bought such houses %, 10 and 20 years ago saying that they can no longer afford to run them... and yet they expect someone to now come along and take on all that expense but at a truly inflated asking price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Miyagi Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 As a side note, it would amaze me if the British nation had standard water meters fitted, instead of smart water meters. I mean, if you're going to do it nationwide, surely use the opportunity to do it right? Secondly... So fitting water meters is apparently the solution to reservoirs running dry? Interesting. So it's not water companies losing huge quantities of water through leakage then? And by billing people more (the implication) they will use less water? Or maybe the increased revenue will help pay for the leakage... that's the more likely answer. Last house we were living in had a water meter fitted, we managed to get our bill so low that an engineer from Welsh Water came out to test the meter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The XYY Man Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Another reason not to chase a big expensive house as big expensive houses are just becoming unaffordable to run - even if you can afford the mortgage on one. Between electricity/gas and water, and add in maintenance, then such houses are a nightmare. What p*sses me off is that I am increasingly hearing from people who bought such houses %, 10 and 20 years ago saying that they can no longer afford to run them... and yet they expect someone to now come along and take on all that expense but at a truly inflated asking price. My aunt and uncle are a perfect example. Now retired and hitting their 70s, they constantly bemoan the fact that they cannot heat their big house that they bought 20-odd years ago. But suggest they sell it - even today, they'd easily get 200 grand for it despite it being in Hartlepool - and move to a smaller, cheaper house and they'll tell you how hard they worked for it and how leaving it would tear them to pieces. Up here, that 200 grand would buy them a decent 2-bed bungalow in a nice area and still leave them at least 50 grand in change, but their pride simply cannot let them do it. XYY Towers is a humble terraced house, and I earn canny money - but the open staircase and large north-facing front room cause me some serious heating expense in the winter. God knows how these poor deluded relatives of mine convince themselves to stay in what in effect has become a prison. Contrast my mam and dad, sold house at the age of 59, moved to council bungalow, heating on 24/7, fridge full of food and beer, enjoying their retirement to the max. There's nowt as queer as folk... XYY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Last house we were living in had a water meter fitted, we managed to get our bill so low that an engineer from Welsh Water came out to test the meter Ah so! I can see you are an "occasional bathers" too! Arigato! San Miyagi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 My aunt and uncle are a perfect example. Now retired and hitting their 70s, they constantly bemoan the fact that they cannot heat their big house that they bought 20-odd years ago. But suggest they sell it - even today, they'd easily get 200 grand for it despite it being in Hartlepool - and move to a smaller, cheaper house and they'll tell you how hard they worked for it and how leaving it would tear them to pieces. Up here, that 200 grand would buy them a decent 2-bed bungalow in a nice area and still leave them at least 50 grand in change, but their pride simply cannot let them do it. XYY Towers is a humble terraced house, and I earn canny money - but the open staircase and large north-facing front room cause me some serious heating expense in the winter. God knows how these poor deluded relatives of mine convince themselves to stay in what in effect has become a prison. Contrast my mam and dad, sold house at the age of 59, moved to council bungalow, heating on 24/7, fridge full of food and beer, enjoying their retirement to the max. There's nowt as queer as folk... XYY How did they pull that one off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Another reason not to chase a big expensive house as big expensive houses are just becoming unaffordable to run - even if you can afford the mortgage on one. Between electricity/gas and water, and add in maintenance, then such houses are a nightmare. Heh! That's me. Moved here 20 odd years ago (ie before I became a true HPC frugalista) and am now well and truely stuck. Admittedly, "stuck" for positive reasons - primarily that we like it. But a big house with over an acre of garden carries a heck of a running cost - and I don't even like to think about the opportunity cost of the tied up capital. Fortunately, we have no aspirations to grandeur and are happy to live in rather ramshackle comfort surrounded by a somewhat overgrown - albeit productive - garden. I'm not sure water meters are a problem, though. However big or small the house, we'd still only bathe twice a year. And we're not wasteful enough to water the garden with anything other than rainfall we've collected and stored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Last house we were living in had a water meter fitted, we managed to get our bill so low that an engineer from Welsh Water came out to test the meter We've had a meter fitted everywhere we lived that didn't have one to start with. It's always been cheaper for us (family of four) than rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 We've had a meter fitted everywhere we lived that didn't have one to start with. It's always been cheaper for us (family of four) than rates. This, the water rates for us is estimated at £35 P/M but based on our meter readings we are using ~25 per month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Will just have to buy some bigger water butts and fit more guttering on the solar panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Another reason not to chase a big expensive house as big expensive houses are just becoming unaffordable to run - even if you can afford the mortgage on one. Between electricity/gas and water, and add in maintenance, then such houses are a nightmare. What p*sses me off is that I am increasingly hearing from people who bought such houses %, 10 and 20 years ago saying that they can no longer afford to run them... and yet they expect someone to now come along and take on all that expense but at a truly inflated asking price. ....bigger houses = bigger problems and bigger expenses.........in the winter it is a good idea if you can to make a cosy snug, light the fire, see you have some good lined think curtains and carpets with a good underlay...important to have some ventilation, warm slippers and clothing a good book and warm drinks...a hat always helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_renting Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 If my water consumption is reduced, it follows that my sewage will be similarly reduced. I would expect lower sewerage costs as well. Maybe sewage should be metered. I would only pee off-peak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Roger Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Reminds me of that scene in Only Fools and Horses where Mike the landlord explains that the brewery is clamping down putting drinks on the slate. "Look Del, it's not my fault, it's the brewery! They've brought in this revolutionary new rule; from now on customers have to pay for their drinks." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuG III Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 There's two fo us in a 4-bed house so we are saving loads by being on a meter. Even with my gardening and brewing, we use less water than average for a household of two. Helps that I pee on my plants when I can and take showers instead of baths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 There's two fo us in a 4-bed house so we are saving loads by being on a meter. Even with my gardening and brewing, we use less water than average for a household of two. Helps that I pee on my plants when I can and take showers instead of baths. ....the plants love used bath water full of natural nutrients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gardener Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 If my water consumption is reduced, it follows that my sewage will be similarly reduced. I would expect lower sewerage costs as well. Maybe sewage should be metered. I would only pee off-peak! Sewage is metered in effect. We pay a rate per cubic metre based on our water consumption. Seems fair enough since virtually all the water that enters your house leaves via the sewage pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battenberg Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 We've got a meter. On rates it would cost us around £35 pm, on a meter it's about £50. 5 of us in 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interestrateripoff Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 If only the entire country was surrounded by water! It's just another way to extract more from the proles. Another part of fiscal drag on the economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuG III Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 If only the entire country was surrounded by water! It's just another way to extract more from the proles. Another part of fiscal drag on the economy. I think its firstly a way to get the right proles to pay the right bills for the services they receive and secondly to try and limit resource consumption. No conspiracy required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Sewage is metered in effect. We pay a rate per cubic metre based on our water consumption. Seems fair enough since virtually all the water that enters your house leaves via the sewage pipes. Yes, you are correct! There is no turd-o-meter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 We've had a meter fitted everywhere we lived that didn't have one to start with. It's always been cheaper for us (family of four) than rates. What is the charge per cubic meter of water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Sewage is metered in effect. We pay a rate per cubic metre based on our water consumption. Seems fair enough since virtually all the water that enters your house leaves via the sewage pipes. Unless you can convince them you water a lot of plants and then you can get a reduction. I think. I might have dreamt that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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