Thames Water Meter

Our rateable value bill was £300pa. When we got a meter it dropped to around £90pa. 

Off_it said:

swords_alive said:

valleynick66 said:

swords_alive said:

valleynick66 said:

PrincessFiona said:

valleynick66 said:

swords_alive said:

Rudders22 said:

I need to get a meter installed. I am being charged £60 a month. I live on my own. I don't drink tap water or drink coffee or tea. I drink coke. I don't have a bath every day and do my washing once a month. They have offered me a metter when i called them a couple of weeks ago and said I would think about it. I called TW to change my payments dates as I now get paid on the last day of the month instead of 22nd. 

It's people on their own who are being ripped off severely.  This is just as good a reason as to why meters should be compulsory,  as well as the fact of water scarcity. This could be enforced for one bed properties for example with no need to leave it to 'consumer choice'.  

No one is bringing ripped off. 

The push to meters has been happening for many years. 

not with a meter - you consumption, or lack of it, means you pay less. 

I appreciate it is only a small number of responses, but CL are quite a varied lot in terms of households and the comments are a meter mean smaller bill

Exactly. I agree. The option to have a meter is not new is my point. 

It’s always been advocated for smaller households. 

yes, it is generally known that water meters can save some people a lot of cash but then there are those that hesitate and wonder (sometimes for years), if they will be better off or not, when they patently would, yet TW just let them carry on wondering. That is a rip off in this privatised free market where individuals like Rudders22 and plenty of others are left well out of pocket to the company's advantage. They have the data on which households would benefit and should install a meter to those.

I don’t think that’s true. 

Lots of activity in the past to get people on meters and think it may even be mandatory upon moving home. 

Some object to the switch through misplaced beliefs. 

Pretty sure all over your bills too. 

I think on reflection it would be very hard to mandate that someone has to have a meter. I believe there are targets or objectives set in conjunction with Ofwat for water companies to install meters, or try to install a certain number of meters within a given period. If a homeowner is dead against it, apart from cutting them off, then financial penalties arise, still to the company's benefit.

A quick google tells me new builds in London have to have meters, and there's also compulsory metering in other areas facing up to water scarcity

Not that hard, clearly - it's happened to me.

As it’s in the piping outside one’s property boundary, I don’t think there’s anything one can do to stop it. 

I was made to have one put in last year and it caused a leak which TW refused to take responsibility for.

charltonkeston said:

I don’t think I have ever noticed any difference between having any type of smart meter than not having one. Having any meter is not to my advantage, I think it’s more likely the providers cost savings. 

hasn't your water bill gone down compared to before having a meter?

AddicksAddict said:

Off_it said:

swords_alive said:

valleynick66 said:

swords_alive said:

valleynick66 said:

PrincessFiona said:

valleynick66 said:

swords_alive said:

Rudders22 said:

I need to get a meter installed. I am being charged £60 a month. I live on my own. I don't drink tap water or drink coffee or tea. I drink coke. I don't have a bath every day and do my washing once a month. They have offered me a metter when i called them a couple of weeks ago and said I would think about it. I called TW to change my payments dates as I now get paid on the last day of the month instead of 22nd. 

It's people on their own who are being ripped off severely.  This is just as good a reason as to why meters should be compulsory,  as well as the fact of water scarcity. This could be enforced for one bed properties for example with no need to leave it to 'consumer choice'.  

No one is bringing ripped off. 

The push to meters has been happening for many years. 

not with a meter - you consumption, or lack of it, means you pay less. 

I appreciate it is only a small number of responses, but CL are quite a varied lot in terms of households and the comments are a meter mean smaller bill

Exactly. I agree. The option to have a meter is not new is my point. 

It’s always been advocated for smaller households. 

yes, it is generally known that water meters can save some people a lot of cash but then there are those that hesitate and wonder (sometimes for years), if they will be better off or not, when they patently would, yet TW just let them carry on wondering. That is a rip off in this privatised free market where individuals like Rudders22 and plenty of others are left well out of pocket to the company's advantage. They have the data on which households would benefit and should install a meter to those.

I don’t think that’s true. 

Lots of activity in the past to get people on meters and think it may even be mandatory upon moving home. 

Some object to the switch through misplaced beliefs. 

Pretty sure all over your bills too. 

I think on reflection it would be very hard to mandate that someone has to have a meter. I believe there are targets or objectives set in conjunction with Ofwat for water companies to install meters, or try to install a certain number of meters within a given period. If a homeowner is dead against it, apart from cutting them off, then financial penalties arise, still to the company's benefit.

A quick google tells me new builds in London have to have meters, and there's also compulsory metering in other areas facing up to water scarcity

Not that hard, clearly - it's happened to me.

As it’s in the piping outside one’s property boundary, I don’t think there’s anything one can do to stop it. 

Absolutely. Nothing you can do about it. They've got you over a barrell, the pants are down and there's no lube. All you can do is brace yourself. 

If you can't have a water meter installed, you'll likely be charged an assessed charge based on factors like property size, occupancy, or a fixed rate. Water companies offer this alternative when meter installation is impractical or too expensive. You should compare the assessed charge with your current bill to see if it's cheaper, says Ofwat. 

Arsenetatters said:

Just had a message left from Thames Water saying they want to make an appointment to fit our water meter. We don’t want a water meter. I’m not phoning them back. I guess it’s going to be like the smart meters - we held out as long as we could….

Ignore them.
I've been getting threatening letters for years and ignored the lot.
I even had a phone call telling me I had to have one. 
I said instead of pestering me about a meter stop pumping millions of gallons of shit into our rivers. 
Total bunch of inept wankers. 

Is the reason you don’t want a meter because you want to use more than the ‘average’ user and not pay your share?

I really don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a pay for what you use system notwithstanding the poor performance of all the water companies. 

Arsenetatters said:

PrincessFiona said:

Arsenetatters said:

Just had a message left from Thames Water saying they want to make an appointment to fit our water meter. We don’t want a water meter. I’m not phoning them back. I guess it’s going to be like the smart meters - we held out as long as we could….

Out of interest, why don't you want one. Our bill has been a third for years since we've had a meter for. I don't; know anyone who hasn't made significant savings with a water meter. I've lost count of the friends and family we've told about our savings who has come back to us and thanked us for telling them as they have saved too

When we moved here 10 years ago we discovered that the farm opposite were paying for our water supply. They’d had family living in ours for many years and it was the original ‘workers cottage’. There’s only 2 of us and it’s a 2 bed cottage but we have 90 thirsty chickens

edit - I should add that when we started paying for our own supply we were offered a meter but declined 

Are the farm still paying for your water then? Maybe they have asked for a water meter to be installed as don't want to carry on paying?

Arsenetatters said:

Just had a message left from Thames Water saying they want to make an appointment to fit our water meter. We don’t want a water meter. I’m not phoning them back. I guess it’s going to be like the smart meters - we held out as long as we could….

It partly depends on where you live, if in an area of deemed extreme water stress they can just fit one, they don’t need your permission. As Thames water I believe that covers their entire region.

unless you are running 20 baths a day for your chickens I suspect you’ll find you’ll save money compared to standard charge.

i live in a large house with four adults. That means probably 4 showers a day and two baths. My wife seems to love seeing the washing machine on at least 15 times a week, dishwasher at least once a day and as for the toilets and the amount of toilet paper we get through I reckon at least 20 flushes a day! Everyone bar me seems to like to see water pouring down the drain when they brush their teeth, for my sins I do like to keep my grass green and jet wash the family fleet each weekend.

all metered at about £90 a month.

what are you paying a month unmetered?

IdleHans said:

My neighbours and me had a small leak on our shared supply. The bastards were all over us for weeks to get it fixed (at our expense). Now there's a leak in the road which is their responsibility to sort out and absolutely nothing is happening. The water is seeping up out of the ground, it can't even be collected and used to water gardens. Twats.

Silly question. Has it been reported? Sometimes people don’t and assume someone else has. 

PrincessFiona said:

Arsenetatters said:

PrincessFiona said:

Arsenetatters said:

PrincessFiona said:

Arsenetatters said:

Just had a message left from Thames Water saying they want to make an appointment to fit our water meter. We don’t want a water meter. I’m not phoning them back. I guess it’s going to be like the smart meters - we held out as long as we could….

Out of interest, why don't you want one. Our bill has been a third for years since we've had a meter for. I don't; know anyone who hasn't made significant savings with a water meter. I've lost count of the friends and family we've told about our savings who has come back to us and thanked us for telling them as they have saved too

When we moved here 10 years ago we discovered that the farm opposite were paying for our water supply. They’d had family living in ours for many years and it was the original ‘workers cottage’. There’s only 2 of us and it’s a 2 bed cottage but we have 90 thirsty chickens

edit - I should add that when we started paying for our own supply we were offered a meter but declined 

Are the farm still paying for your water then? Maybe they have asked for a water meter to be installed as don't want to carry on paying?

No, we sorted that out with them and Thames Water so that the cottage has a separate supply. 

so if you pay without a meter now, it is highly likely from my experience that you will pay a lot less with a meter

And it's highly likely from my experience that you will pay more.

It's not a right vs wrong scenario. There are some winners and some losers. Again, I really don't understand why some people just can't seem to accept that.

We have a water meter fitted and before i got it done, was paying about £350 a year. (2001) For years we were only paying about £10 a month once the meter was fitted. So we saved considerably.

It has now gone up to £40 a month to give TW a boost on infrastructure projects and meet environmental stamdards.to their funds.

My sister lives in Dartford in a 1 bedroom flat and pays over £600 crazy.