I had the new water charge notice delivered today from United Utilities. It'll be £827 this year, a reduction of £4 on last year. I've resisted having a water meter for years. When we moved into this house in 1972. The water charges were included in the rates. Then it became an additional £15 a year. Then Maggie Thatcher sold the water supply off, so that's why it's so high today. Yes I know the facility was under invested.... But it still is. Anyway, I preferred to pay an annual charge because I had the koi pool. The introduction of water meters ruined koi keeping for a lot of people. A koi passes twice its own weight in urine, daily. That's why filters are necessary, but given the high stocks per cubic foot of water lots of hobbyists have, even sophisticated filters struggle to keep the water parameters acceptable. So the practice is to trickle-change the water 24/7 through a dechlorinator as I did. Now at even just a "trickle" you're talking thousands of gallons a year. If I'd been on a meter, my bill would have been a lot higher. Our water supplier is offering free meter installations. The plus point is that if in the following two years you don't get a saving, you can go back to paying annually, but the meter stays. They have to do a survey to see if they can get it under the sink or wherever. That won't work in our house as the water come up in the corner of the kitchen where there is a tall unit that houses our oven with two drawers below. Just to get to the stopcock, I'd have to open the bottom drawer and put my hand through a hole cut in the back of the unit. There's no room for a meter. So they'll have to dig up the pavement outside and fit one like those most of the houses in our road have. If it's your choice to have it outside, they'll charge you £250. Anyway, I preferred to pay an annual charge because I had the koi pool. The introduction of water meters ruined koi keeping for a lot of people. A koi passes twice its own weight in urine, daily. That's why filters are necessary, but given the high stocks per cubic foot of water, lots of hobbyists have, even sophisticated filters struggle to keep the water parameters acceptable. So the practice is to trickle-change the water 24/7 through a dechlorinator as I did. But if it's not practical to have it inside, they pay. I've done the sums. With just two of us in the house, we're not using that much water. Admittedly, the washing machine is on several times a day and the dishwasher at least once, but they don't use a lot of water. We haven't a bath any more as my wife's disability made using one impossible, we have a walk in shower, so daily, that doesn't use much water. I do put quite a bit of water on the garden in the summer, but I'm prepared to pay for it. Some people are daft about it, to save a few quid, they let their lawns go white. So they're coming to do the survey in a couple of week's time. I reckon I'll be saving about £400 a year. A bit of trivia. Some water companies reduce the water pressure between 1.00 a.m. and 5.00 a.m. as do ours. This is because the unused pressure as very few taps are open, would make the many leaks they always have, far worse. If I want a shower after 1.00 a.m. which happens occasionally, I have to set the electric shower on the lowest heat otherwise the "low pressure" light comes up and it turns itself off. Therer's no way I'll ever agree to having a "smart meter" for energy usage.
You are kidding ? I have never heard of such as that ! Here in the states our water runs about $30. to $50 per month depending on the season ! But none of that BS !
The engineer from United Utilities came today and confirmed there was nowhere to fit a water meter inside the house. The stopcock is behind the back panel of this unit. To turn off the water, as I had to a month ago, when I replaced the electric shower in the bathroom, I had to get down on my hands and knees, open the bottom drawer and put my hand through a round hole cut in the thick back panel of the unit to reach the tap. No big deal, but there's no room for a water meter without losing the botttom drawer, which we're not prepared to do. The units in this kitchen are now fifteen years old and still in perfect condition. They were put in by a kitchen fitter. It's a small kitchen but it still took him a week. I did the decorations and the tiling. We don't use that side door, it's where we put the three refuse bins we need, for the different "categories" of rubbish. So the meter will have to go under the pavement outside our garden wall. Like the rest of those fitted years ago. For which we won't be charged. Internal meters if they can fit them, are a cheaper option for them now. Of course, the engineer had to take photographs of the situation to prove to, "some numpty in a suit at head office," that he knew what he was doing.
Not for me. UU tried to get me a water meter fit but I soon beggered him off. I got my water bill today. This year they are £250.00. K
Good for you! That's rather less than the £827 I'll be paying if I don't have a meter. The charges are usually linked to the rateable value of your property.
They came this morning and fitted the water meter in the pavement outside our house. They were there about an hour, at most. All cleared up and away. Strangely, the water pressure seems to have increased. These meters are "Bluetooth." they can read them whilst sitting in a van in the road outside the houses.
We were left with this yesterday. A different team came this morning to finish the job (in the rain) I've stopped my monthly direct debit to United Utilities. We can argue about what I owe them later.
We had a phone call this evening from United Utilities, wanting us to comment on the installation of our water meter. It "wasn't a real person," I was expected to press buttons 1-9 on my phone grading different points on the service. It's the second call we've had, for feed-back, the first one was the day after they did the survey. I put the phone down on both occasions. I've just sent them an e-mail. I've told them that the work was carried out to my satisfaction, but with what I was totally dissatisfied, was the arrogance of a company that couldn't be bothered to speak to me and expected me to "talk" to a machine. I went on with "which numpty in a suit thought that idea up?" I said it's probably the same one who hasn't responded to the two e-mails I've sent over the last two weeks about the fact that I think I've been paying too much for my water for several years, as we were on the wrong council tax band. I said, they've not even had the courtesy of acknowledging the've received them. I'm not holding my breath for a quick response.
I throughly understand how we need to figure out best service and to avoid too much electronics. Our water bill in the summer runs over $500, and about $300 during the winter. We’ve never had water bills under a couple hundred. Hopefully the new front loading washer will help but the garden always changes the bill and I don’t water but a small portion.
