How I saved £384 with a water meter
With the recession in full-swing and household bills still rising, any savings on water payments can be a welcome boost. One man installed a water meter in his home and ended up spending a good deal less. He tells his story.
Retired design engineer Graham Crawshaw,(right) 69, from Eccleston, Lancashire, tells how he's £384 better off by having a water meter installed:
'I'm living on my own after losing my wife Jean 18 months ago.
'I was chatting to my neighbour recently and she told me how much she was paying for her water since she'd had a meter fitted.
'It was a lot cheaper than my annual bill of £573.19, which I'd just received. It made me decide to do something about it. I live in a detached two-bedroom bungalow.
'Since Jean died, I don't have so much washing to do, I don't have a dishwasher and I have a shower not a bath, so I was sure I could save money.
'I contacted my local water company, United Utilities, and they sent a contractor to fit a meter. It's free and you have about 12 months to decide whether you want to keep it.
'If you don't, they'll take it away again, but the chap who fitted my brother's meter told him he'd never been asked to remove one.
'After installing the meter, the charge has dropped to £189.12 - a saving of £384.07.
'It's saving me a fortune and it's so easy. I'm sure it would have paid us to have had this done even when Jean was alive.'
• Editor's Blog: A water meter cut my bill by 35%
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