Yes GiltEdgedInvestor every water usher should be fitted with a water meter across the country
but they know thousands will complain after getting there water metered new bills ,and they don't
want to rock the boat ,as did Thatcher with the poll tax stunt, so there slipping it in slowly area at a time it mite take until 2020 or even longer before most domestic ushers are fitted with a water meter. this is my Thierry, and as you stated every household should have the right to
purchase there water from the water supply company that gives them the best deal , as electricity and gas ,in the new year i mite submit a new petition to the Government stating domestic water metered customers should have the right to purchase water from the company of there choice
and that water/sewage/standing charges should be the same across the country,to stop this totally unfair charging system in place at the moment,
If this was implemented by the Government, most households would not mind being connected to a water meter, water is water from the north or the south west its all the same so why are all water companies charging different rates and conditions,

As this thread has become extremely long, may I suggest that for 2015 we replace new posts in it by ones in a new thread, which might be entitled 'Son of Water Meters' (in homage to the film 'Son of Paleface' for lovers of Bob Hope films) or 'Water Meters Fight Back' for those who prefer films 25-30 years newer by George Lucas)?

RE THE CONSUMER COUNCIL FOR WATER, INFORMATION.SHEETS
1.

What are customers' most common concerns about water meters?

Published 21/06/2010 10.47 AM | Updated 01/10/2012 12.12 PM
What are customers' most common concerns about water meters?


The dirty dozen – Customers’ most common concerns about water meters.

1. Can a water company force me to have a water meter installed?
Any water company can install a meter when a property is sold or a tenant moves out. Several companies operate these “change of occupier” schemes. Water companies in areas of serious water stress are able to propose a more widespread/universal installation of water meters as a way to manage the demand for water. If agreed by the Environment Agency and Ofwat unmeasured customers are legally required to have a meter. At present only Southern Water and Affinity South East have universal metering programmes in place.

2. Will I pay more on metered charges?
Some customers could pay more if they switch to metered charges, others could pay less. It depends on how much water you use. You can find out how much you’d likely pay on metered charges by using our water meter calculator.

3. Is there help if I can’t afford metered charges?
If you have a water bill that you think you may struggle to pay, contact your company. Most can offer more flexible payment plans, and many have set up trusts or other schemes to help eligible customers clear some outstanding debt. If you are on income related benefits you may also be eligible for WaterSure, which limits how much a customer can be charged if they have a meter. Click here to find out more.

4. Can I have a meter removed, or switch back to unmetered charges?
Once a meter is installed at a property, the water company will not remove it. If you asked to have the meter installed under the meter option scheme you can switch back to rateable value based charges within the first 12 months of having the meter if you’re unhappy with the change, as long as your water company is not one of the two in a process of systematically installing water meters (Affinity Water Southeast and Southern Water).

5. What happens if my meter breaks, or isn’t working properly?
If you think that there might be something wrong with the water meter at your property you can ask the company to arrange for the meter to be tested, however if the results show the meter to be working within prescribed limits you will be liable for the cost of the testing. It is the water company’s responsibility to fix or replace the meter if something goes wrong.

6. What happens if I have a water meter and I have a leak on my property?
Customers are responsible for any necessary repairs to the water supply pipes in their gardens and homes, whether or not they have a water meter. If a leak is found on the property which causes a higher bill than normal, customers with a water meter have the right to a leakage allowance, meaning that the water company will not charge for the water lost through the leak. Many water companies have programmes to help detect and fix leaks on private supply pipes, so any customer who suspects a leak on their property should contact their water company as soon as possible.

7. Will a meter affect my ability to sell my home?
Our experience to date has been that when people think about moving house their focus is more on finding a property that fits their desired location and price. While other factors, such as schools, council tax bands, local amenities, etc, factor into their decision to buy a property, we have not had customers call us to complain that they could not sell their home because it had a water meter installed.

8. What control do I have over where the meter is fitted, and the type of meter I get?
The water company technically own the water meter and will normally choose which type of meter you receive. They will also suggest the best location for the meter. It must be fitted at a point where it will register all the water used at your property and this is usually outside your property in the footpath or inside your property under the kitchen sink. If you would like the meter to be fitted elsewhere some companies may agree on the basis that you pay the associated costs.

9. How often will the company read my meter, and how often can I expect to get a bill?
Ofwat, the industry regulator, expects companies to provide a bill based on an actual meter reading once in every financial year. Some companies exceed this by reading meters more frequently (like every six months). Your water company can tell you how often they aim to read your meter. You can submit your own meter reading to your company if you are unhappy with an estimated bill. If you would like to pay your water bills in smaller, more frequent payments, contact your water company.

10. What happens if a water company can’t fit a meter to my property?
If your water company says that it can not fit a meter to your property, it should explain why it is impractical or too expensive to do so. It should offer you the option to switch to what is called an assessed charge, which more closely reflects likely water use. Some companies base it on number of bedrooms in the properties and others on the number of people living at the property. It may, in some circumstances, be cheaper to remain on rateable value-based charging rather than switch to an assessed charge. Find out more by contacting your water company.

11. Aren’t more meters just a way for water companies to make more money?
Water prices are decided by the industry regulator, Ofwat, every five years based on the likely cost of the work each water company will need to carry out over that period. Water companies can not charge customers more than the cap Ofwat places on prices. While some customers would be likely to see their bills rise as a result of switching to a metered charges, others water bills would likely reduce. Costs would be distributed differently among customers, but there would not be an affect on the water company’s overall income.

bobs comment. above should read , While most customers would see their bills rise a result
of switching to a metered charges,

12. Who is calling for more water meters and why?
As water resources in the UK are becoming more and more stretched, especially in the South East of England, a number of government bodies have called for more household customers to have water meters installed to both help control the demand for water, and to help water companies more easily spot leaks.

Defra’s water strategy calls for near universal metering by 2030. Click here for link

The Environment Agency has called for - Metering to be accelerated where it is most needed. In areas that are seriously water-stressed, companies should use their ability to meter on compulsory basis so that the majority of homes in seriously water-stressed areas are metered by 2015. They also recognise that some companies may not be able to achieve full metering until 2020. Click here for link


Think a water meter might be for you?
Check to see how much you might pay on metered charges using our Water Meter Calculator. If you think you’d be likely to save by making the switch, contact your water company.

Still have questions?
For other practical advice about water meters, and to have your questions answered, here.





2.
Can you give me some general information about water meters?

Published 06/05/2009 03.25 PM | Updated 17/11/2011 12.45 PM
Can you give me some general information about water meters?


Domestic customers can request a water meter to be fitted free of charge unless the location or pipework makes it impracticable or uneconomic for the company to do so.

Metered bills for water and sewerage charges are based on the amount of water used plus a standing charge which covers fixed costs that are not linked to water usage. Please contact your water company or local CCWater office for full details of metered charges.

Our water meter calculator can provide an estimate of the amount you would be likely to pay with a meter.

Your water company should read the meter at least once a year.

You can also read the meter yourself to check your bills and keep an eye on how much water you are using. This can also help identify any leaks or other problems on your supply at an early stage.

If you want to go back to the unmeasured rateable value charge, you can usually only do so within the first year. If you moved into a property that already has a meter you cannot have the meter removed.

Some people who have a water meter can receive a capped bill if they receive specific benefits or tax credits and cannot avoid using a lot of water because they have three or more dependent children. This also applies if you have a medical condition specified by the Government. Contact your company and ask about its WaterSure tariff for more details.

When a request for a meter has been made and it is found the pipework has to be moved or split to serve your property alone, the company can advise you what needs to be done. Your company may agree to carry out the work but may make charges to do the alterations or ask you to have the work done before it fits a meter.

Sometimes it is just not practical to fit a meter. If the work involved to separate the pipework is impractical or too costly, such as in a tower block where a header tank serves all the occupants, or where there may be communal laundry facilities, the company has the right to refuse to install a meter.

If you cannot have a meter fitted and you are a household customer, your company will offer you an alternative known as an Assessed Charge. This is a fixed annual bill based on what other metered customers pay. Some companies calculate an assessed charge based on the number of occupants, some use the type of property (flat/maisonette, semi-detached or detached), some use the number of bedrooms and some on the average household charge. You will need to compare the assessed charge with your current bill to decide if you will save money. Your water company will be able to give you more information.



3.

What is an assessed charge?

Published 23/11/2007 03.54 PM | Updated 18/11/2011 10.53 AM
What is an assessed charge?


If you are a household customer and have asked your water company to install a meter under the free meter option scheme, and they are unable to do so, they are required to offer you an alternative to the unmeasured charges based on property Rateable Value (RV) you would otherwise have to pay. This is so that you are not unreasonably disadvantaged by not being able to have a meter.

The alternative charge is known as an Assessed Charge and is based on average bills paid by customers who do have meters.

There is a variety of names for this charge, for example:
•Assessed Volume Charge (AVC)
•Assessed Measured Charge (AMC)
•Average Household Charge

or just simply 'Assessed Charge' (AC).

There is no common method used by all companies to work out assessed charges. But they are all based on the charges paid by metered customers. Some companies have a single assessed charge, while others have a range of charges linked, for example, to the number of bedrooms in a property, or to the number of occupants. The figures used by your company are approved by the regulator, Ofwat.

If you can't have a meter you will usually pay the Assessed Charge from the date of the survey. The charge will only apply if it is lower than the unmeasured bill you would otherwise pay.

If you are paying the Assessed Charge you should notify the company if there are any changes which might affect the charge you are paying, for example if the number of occupants changes.

Like normal unmeasured charges, the Assessed Charge is fixed for each charging year (1st April to 31st March) and becomes due in advance on 1st April.

4.
My company will not fit a meter but is offering an assessed charge.

Published 29/05/2009 12.31 PM | Updated 17/11/2011 12.31 PM

My company will not fit a meter but is offering an assessed charge.



If your water company cannot fit a meter to your property, it should explain why it is impractical or too expensive to do so. If you are a domestic customer, it should offer you the option to switch to an assessed charge. Sometimes this is called an assessed volume charge or assessed measured charge.

The assessed charge should more closely approximate the average bill of the company's other metered consumers so you are not unfairly disadvantaged.

Some companies base their assessed charge on number of bedrooms in the properties and others on the number of people living at the property.

It may, in some circumstances, be cheaper to remain on rateable value-based charging rather than switch to an assessed charge.

Details regarding specific charges can be obtained from your company.
5.
How do I complain about my water and/or sewerage company?

Published 25/02/2010 09.13 AM | Updated 11/08/2014 11.05 AM
How do I complain about my water and/or sewerage company?


In the first instance, consumers should contact their water company to resolve matters directly with the company. Your company's contact details are on the back of your bill. Alternatively, click here for links to all companies' websites.

If you have not been able to resolve your issue over the telephone, in our experience consumers can usually do so by writing to their company. Most companies have a two stage procedure for resolving written complaints. Ofwat requires companies to respond within 10 working days of receiving your letter or make a small Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) payment to you if they are late.

Right first time

The Consumer Council for Water helps people in a very real way, every day. Our complaints teams across England and Wales are located to be near the regional water companies and we continually work with companies to get their service to consumers right first time.

If you have followed your company's complaints procedure but remain dissatisfied, you can ask us to look at your complaint. We will tell you how we can take your matter forward and what resolution, if any, you can expect from your company. You can ask us for advice at any stage of a complaint. Our services are free.

Contact us

05/02/15
HOW TO WORKOUT YOUR AVERAGE PRICE OF A LITRE OF WATER USED,ON A METER

The idea is to workout the cost to you in your area of the country for each litre of water used
charged to you by your water supply company.

CHARGES . WATER METERED CUSTOMERS
my water supply co. is Wessex water
on today's prices we are charged 224.46 pence a cubic meter used.that's 1000 litres
and for sewage 185.74pence a litre based on the water we used as they recon. what goes in must come out.
standing charges water £24 sewage £54 annually
discount of 5% on sewage charge for rain water from gutters/etc going to soakaways not returned.

so get hold of your total bill, which includes water,sewage,standing charges,discounts,
so our total bill comes to £336.95 and we used 72 cubic metres,which is 72,000 litres
now divide the total amount charged £336.95 by 72000 =£00.0046798 pecne a litre

so the cost from wessex water for every litre of water used averages out at .0046798 p a litre

UPDATE 11/ 07/2015
Bristol Water customers to get cheaper bills as competition watchdog tells firm to make 17% cuts over the next five years
Annual Bristol Water bill to drop £32 to about £159 for next five years if calculated using a 2012/13 price base
More than a million households in Bristol could see their water bills slashed by 17 per cent, before adding inflation, over the next five years after a ruling by the competition watchdog.
If calculated using a 2012/2013 price base, the average household bill for Bristol Water customers is expected to drop from £191 to about £159 per year for the 2015-2020 period in real terms.
Bristol Water, which supplies around 1.2 million customers in the area, had been ordered by sector regulator Ofwat to reduce household bills by 19 per cent earlier this year.
Cuts: Some 1.2m Bristol Water customers could see bills slashed by 17 per cent for the next five years
+1
Cuts: Some 1.2m Bristol Water customers could see bills slashed by 17 per cent for the next five years
The company rejected that request on the basis that it would not have enough funds to run the business, saying it would lower the bills by 6 per cent before inflation instead.
Ofwat then referred Bristol Water to the Competition Market Authority, which today published the provisional findings of a detailed review and told Bristol Water to implement a 17 per cent cut in bills. A final decision will be announced on September 3.
Bristol Water had claimed it would need to spend £537million on wholesale activities, which include abstracting, storing, treating and transporting water. But the CMA said this would cost £429million, a bit more than Ofwat’s assessment of £409million, but much lower than Bristol Water’s estimates.
Energy bills: Could you cut your fuel costs by switching to the best deals?
CMA inquiry group chairman Anne Lambert said: ‘Our provisional findings would result in substantial reductions in bills, as compared with Bristol Water's plans, although they involve a small rise above the price limits set by Ofwat.
m
‘We provisionally rejected several projects proposed by Bristol Water which would have increased its expenditure - and ultimately bills - because we did not consider they were fully justified and in the interests of customers.’
Bristol Water chief executive Luis Garcia said:’The provisional findings are positive in some areas.
‘We will continue until the conclusion of the process on September 3 to ensure we can deliver what our customers want - a reliable and quality water supply - at an appropriate bill level.’
The average water bill across England and Wales is set to drop by around £9 from next year, according to Ofwat.
At the start of the year the regulator said bills will drop by an average of two per cent and households struggling to pay will share a pot worth £40million to help them pay their bills or write off earlier debts.
Water companies are cutting charges after the regulator Ofwat ordered the industry to lower annual bills by five per cent in real terms over the next five years.
However, actual bills dropping through customers' letterboxes in five years' time will be higher because they will take into account the rate of inflation.



dandare,
What we have to remember is . if you are on rateable value water payment 1. you can have a unlimited amount of people living in your house. 2 they can all use a unlimited amount of water, 100 times more than the dear old pensioners GEORGE & MILDRED living next door stuck on a water meter, paying for every drop they use The system for water charges is a B. shambles and will always be until every household is connected to a meter. and they are given the right to swap water supply companies as electricity and gas . I agree with that said GEORGE to MILDRED, never mind said MILDRED as she put her arm around GEORGES shoulder , i left you my bath water so you can water your plants .

Jim, Manchester, about an hour ago
I am a different Jim from Manchester. My UU water and sewerage charges including standing charges are £180 on a meter.


futility, Lancashire, about 12 hours ago
something wrong there Jim, we are two and run our house in a similar manner, our bill with united utility is about £240 per year, just a thought my son lived on a modern housing estate ,they had high bills but eventually found out that the meters had been mixed up and they were being charged for next doors usage which was a family of 6.

sensiblegirl, london, United Kingdom, a day ago
Were Bristol Water ripping off their customers? Surely not!


JIM, MANCHESTER, a day ago
Can I switch to Bristol water please?
ReplyNew07Click to rate

JIM, MANCHESTER, a day ago
Ofwat would be better employed watching United Utilities in the north west, I am retired and live alone. I don"t use the bath ,I use the shower and only then when I become noticeable, I never use mains water for the garden, I have three water butts and two pools to use in drought conditions yet my bill is never less than £460.00 ! Why is there such a discrepancy between the north and south?

Gurkinator, Bristol, United Kingdom, about 19 hours ago
Get a water meter!!


JIM, MANCHESTER, a day ago
I THINK THAT OFFWAT OULD BE BETTER EMPLOYED WATCHING UNITED UTILITIES IN THE NORTH WEST. I LIVE ALONE AND DON"T USE MAINS WATER FOR THE GARDEN. I HAVE TTHEE WATER BUTTS AND TWO POOL TO FALL BACK IN DROUGHT CNDITIONS, I DON"TTAKE BATHS ,I USE THE SHOWER AND MY BILLS ARE NEVER LESS THAN £467, CAN ANYONE IMPROVE ON THIS?


Matt, Manchester, United Kingdom, about 6 hours ago
Jim you said it's never less than £460 above. Which is it lol. Still get a water meter. However I am worse of with one. Was paying £20.60 per month unmetered, now moved house 200 meters away on a meter at pay £36 per month metered and I watch what I use!!! Unlike before.

https://www.nwl.co.uk/yo.../water-saving-tips.aspx

I like the tagline 'Bad Habits Cost The Earth'

and

https://www.nwl.co.uk/yo...r/water-saving-kit.aspx

Something in here to save power shower water!