Water meters... is there really a problem?

[AdamW]

So we're all going to end up with water meters eventually...

I confess that no-one round here seems bothered enough that it has even been a water-cooler conversation, but listening to the radio they had some "man in the street" interviews.

The only issue the interviewees raised was "Now I'll get charged for the water I use"!!! All I could think was "eh?".

I really can't believe anyone has a problem with this, so is it a big conspiracy by the media to hype something up that doesn't really bother anyone?

I think that the water companies should make efforts to improve the water infrastructure and encourage water efficiency, but meters are a more logical idea than flat rates... imagine if energy was charged at a flat rate! Effectively free petrol and electricity!

 

[masona]

The problem I can see, once everyone is on the water meter the price will go up because most people will be cutting down, a no win situation

I know a few people will not flush the toilet until the end of the day

 

[WoodYouLike]

for two years now we've been trying to get a water meter! (Just the two of us, we shower, no dishwasher, just 3 washing machine loads in two weeks etc). We still don't have one (bit of a problem it seems, since our house is on the property of the primary school and somehow/somewhere our water supply is connected with part of the school)

It's not only the water we paying over the top for on this flat rate, our waste bill is also calculated on this same too high usage of water.

We're all for water meters (justice for all )

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1) There are real public health issues with pay-per-use metering, particularly in large low-income families. Let's face it, the water companies don't want meters in order to get less money than they had before, do they, so overall the amount of money being paid out will go up.

2) If water companies have a variable charging system, the incentive for them to become more efficient diminishes.

 

[WoodYouLike]

BAS, I think it will be the other way around.
Larger households on fixed rate tariff while using a lot of water will now have to pay their fair share.
And according to a program I saw recently there are more households paying too few (or is it too less?) at the moment than the other way around. I know we are paying too much.

Also, what's wrong with saving water? Why are there no two-button toilets installed in new homes/offices?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And (not that you would know this), why do we still have auto-flushing urinals in this country?

 

[Thermo]

im all for saving water, but its intresting that the local water company here that is one of the worst affected areas (sussex) does not want to put meters in on a compulsary basis

 

[Slogger]

ehere will they be fitted


some i have seen are fittied directly above customers stop cocks in there kitchens or whereever the stop cock is


dont think they wil dig the roads up

so who reads the meters and how secure will they be against fraudulent use

more money to monitor = more money for your water

set a standard rate according to the size of the house thatlll be fairer all round [/code]

 

[WoodYouLike]

set a standard rate according to the size of the house thatlll be fairer all round

No, I don't agree with that. No incentive whatsoever to save water; size of house doesn't represent water-usage mentality. You can have two houses next to each other where house 1 is occupied by water spillers who don't give a damn, and house 2 is occupied by people who do give a damn and install water saving equipment all around.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Rather than giving everybody meters, as a quick and easy fix to force people to use less, sometimes less than they should, why don't they invest in giving people systems to catch and store all their grey water, which they can use a second time for flushing the toilet, cleaning the car, watering the garden...

Actually - I'll tell you why - it's because there's no money in that for the f*****g shareholders, that's why...

 

[Brightness]

Water meters are wonderful until you get a leak. We had one that was on their side of the meter but was showing up on our charges. In the end they came out and dug up the pavement outside, found the leak, repaired it and admitted it was their fault - took them 18mths to reimburse us for the extra we'd been charged though

 

[Moz]

on new builds they are fitted like the gas meter after the main stopcock/MCV

this is just a money making exercise as said above for the shareholder ...
btw did you know they will still charge you extra for drainage ..lol

 

[ellal]

Hmm..

Privatised Water companies pay out shareholders instead of investing in stopping leaks, infrastructure etc, thus 'exagerating' a water shortage!

And in return the government gives them the power to install meters by compulsion in 'extreme conditions'..

And of course meters won't be 'revenue neutral' will they...

Sounds like another money making scheme to me!!

 

[markie]

In the north east it will be ok at the min its pi#sing it down of snow,

 

[mlb3c]

well as usual, a little slow on the draw....I take it you don't pay for water there? We've had water meters for......ever? How does that work?--not paying I mean