Water meters are a growing way in the UK to keep track of water usage and pay for the exact amount that you use, and they are a great way to save money as well. Not only can a water meter lower your bill simply by being installed, but by letting you keep track of your water consumption it can force you to get into the habit of using water wisely. The following article will take a closer look at these two points.
A Water Meter Can Lower Your Water Bill If…
Your household does not use a lot of water or if you have a big house but not too many people living in it. Unmetered charges might have been relatively high for you in this case, and so you could definitely benefit from having a meter in this case. Water meters are most likely to benefit single people or couples living without children.
Water meters are also great if not a lot of people are at home during the day. If everyone is at work or school and doesn’t come home until the evening, then your household is probably not using up too much water. Since you would only pay for what you use, this could mean big savings for you and your family.
If your household is smaller and you don’t use a lot of water, then these benefits will likely come to you without any changes to your lifestyle whatsoever. You will probably see a decrease in your water bill just by simply installing a meter.
A Water Meter Can Help You Lower Your Water Consumption By…
Letting you keep track of your water usage. If you do consume an excessive amount of water and use it for things such as lawn care or washing your car, then installing a water meter could actually increase your water bill. However, the great thing is that by keeping track of your meter’s reading you can try to lower your water consumption and thereby lower your bill. You will be saving money while developing environmentally friendly habits.
For example, if using a lot of water on lawn care is keeping your bill high, then you will want to look into using a water butt. A water butt can be used to collect the thousands of liters of rainwater that fall onto your roof each year. You can then use this water for various outdoor purposes and you will see these changes reflected in a lower water bill.
There are a variety of other water-saving products that you can buy or even get from your water company for free. Since a water meter will make you pay for the amount of water that you use, you will be finding yourself much more motivated to look into these products than you probably were before.
What If A Water Meter Does Not Save You Money?
It is possible that installing a water meter will raise your water bills and that despite your best water saving efforts you just won’t be able to get the bill to go down. Such is likely to be the case for bigger families or those with certain illnesses that require a lot of water consumption.
If you do not want to have a water meter anymore, then you should be aware of the fact that you have 12 months to cancel and revert back to unmetered charges. The meter won’t be removed, but you will be allowed to pay as you were paying before.
If, however, you live in an area of the UK that has compulsory metering, then you unfortunately need to keep your meter. Nevertheless, you should talk to your water company about your options. You might be eligible for the UK’s WaterSure scheme, or you could benefit from paying in installments.
If you would like to see an estimate ahead of time of whether or not you could stand to save money by installing a water meter, then you should take a look at this handy Water Meter Calculator offered by the Consumer Council for Water: ccwater.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.388
Just input some information and the calculator will give you a sense of how much you could stand to save or lose by installing a water meter.