Could you be paying less for your water?
07/02/2008
The more electricity we use, the more we pay. The same holds true for gas, oil and – well any utility where we have a meter to measure what we consume. But the majority of people in this country still have their water bills assessed by the rateable value of their house.
It’s an antiquated arrangement that – quite rightly – has many people fuming. Why should a couple living in one half of a semi-detached house, using a fraction of the water their neighbours get through, pay the same amount? It isn’t fair and, if you feel you’re getting a bad deal, you can do something about it.
Most people in England, Wales and Scotland have the right to have a water meter installed free of charge. If you request a water meter, your supplier will install it at no cost and you will then be charged for your exact usage.
And, if you find that your bills have gone up rather than down as a result, you have the right to ask your water company to switch you back to an unmeasured charge within the first 12 months of installation.
The rule of thumb is: if your household only uses a small amount of water, then a meter may be the cheapest option for you. But, if you use a lot of water because you are a keen gardener or have a large family, you may find an unmeasured bill better value.
There are circumstances when a water company can refuse to install a meter if it is unreasonably impractical or expensive to do so - if shared water supply pipes need to be separated, for example. However, if it is impossible to have a meter installed, then your water company should offer you an 'assessed charge' where you pay a bill based on an estimate of your water supply usage or what other metered customers in your area pay.
Water bills are going up at above inflation rates every year between here and 2010 and, according to the utility bills comparison service uSwitch.com, “Householders could easily save an average £125 a year by switching to a meter.”
Once you do have a meter installed, you can – of course – make sure that your bills really do go down. It’s the simplest of measures to install water butts in your garden, for instance, and the water companies are so keen that you do so that these are often available at subsidized prices. As well as saving thousands of gallons each year (nothing wastes watering like watering can!) and so cutting your bills, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment by cutting the energy required to treat and pump that water to your home. On top of that, plants far prefer unchlorinated water.
The unit illustrated, from Blackwalls, costs just £34.95 with free delivery through a number of water companies – a saving on the manufacturer’s recommended price of £47.90.
Installing other measures such as a dual flush in your loo can make a huge difference to your annual consumption too. Your water company website will offer lots of other ways too: they’re keen to cut consumption as – despite all of our recent wet weather – as a nation we face a future with growing water shortages in parts of the country.
So if you’re looking to trim your outgoings, why not check out what YOU could save? Just click onto the link below.