water meters

[Dave]

I posted a question on this ng and got an e-mail about who to contact, regarding the ability of the meter to accurately record the water usage over the years. I thank that poster and reading his reply address, it may not be wise to write directly to him.

May I now pass the question to this ng again? Just to see what might be said about this.

How long will a water meter stay in calibration over the years? Are any checks in place, by the water supplier, to check that the meter is still recording accurately? I would assume that any meter will go towards the suppliers benefit though :-(

Dave

[Capitol]

I don't think you need to worry about the accuracy. AIUI, Northumbrian water have now raised the standing charge to >£100/yr. So even if you don't use any water, you'll still be paying. I guess that too many of their customers went to meters, so it's now a poll tax version of water rates by the back door.

Regards Capitol

[Mary Fisher]

It's not a poll tax unless it's charged per head of the household!

That's why the council tax was never a poll tax, that was just a cunning and dishonest phrase put out by the Labour party.

Mary

[Frank Erskine]

Incorrect. Only this morning I got my "water services bill" from Northumbrian Water, and the fixed charge is £24.00 per year. That's for a 15mm meter.

Admittedly, the standing charge for sewerage is £57.00 per year.

Rgds -

[Matt]

When approval testing is performed they are tested for their endurance capabilities. In industrial usage with high flow rates they last for many years, given the top digit on the counter is around 70 times the average 2 person households annual usage it's probably hardly worth worrying about especially when you get 1000 litres for less than a quid.

If you are really in need of a standards fix then you need to find a copy of ISO 4064 which isn't free!

[dave]

Whatever the accuracy, it's very *green politics* isn't it, to dig up land etc to fit millions of water meters. How much energy will that take. That's after they have been manufactured of course, and used god knows how much material and energy. And then there are aspect of usage, such as people using less water to wash/bath/shower and of course flushing loo's etc. That might generate public health issues. Never mind eh. The NHS is there to pick up *that* bill. The water companies after all MUST make more money for their shareholders and don't give a damn for any of this - as they hope to reap greater rewards. And, btw it masks their gross inefficiency at controlling huge water wastage via unfixed leaks.

And it is by such means that the great British public will once again be robbed of a system which would work just fine if it wasn't for greed. (Remember the Marples/Beeching efficiency "improvements" of British Rail. And how wonderful a transport system we have now as a result). Same thing really. Same ploy, same reason, just a different service.

ps btw I don't vote - period.

[PeTe33]

No grounds to complain then really as you are helping keep the current policy makers in power.

[Sponix]

sponix

[Matt]

Or it could quite conceivably be a case of wanting to keep the other lot out, after all this lot are a shower of shit but those with "memory problems" conveniently forget the mismanagement and total incompetence of the grey suited poodle that preceded him and the mad dictatorship of Thatcher that will take a very, very long time to put right.

Thatcher Dead - a story coming to the headlines quite soon. But don't forget to buy your party poppers well in advance as this will be a day to really celebrate.

[Matt]

via unfixed leaks.

But, in an area where there is less rainfall that those regularly shown to support famine relief for Africa, fully justified.

I agree with everything else you said though!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Which, of course, didn't include children.

The only tax that suits everyone is one which doesn't have to be paid.

[Merryterry]

What the hell has this shit got to do with the bloke who has asked the question about water meters?

[John Cartmell]

I understood it to be a reference to the sowing that preceded the whirlwind that we are reaping.

It may be uncomfortable for you but the investments that weren't made in the

80s and 90s in our infrastructure and industry (with the profits from North Sea Oil that were diverted to maintain artificially high unemployment), and the doctrinaire decisions that sold that oil fast and cheap - and destroyed the coal industry, and the sale of our essential services to profiteers, all combine to make life far more expensive now that it ever should have been.

[Capitol]

So, just tell us who offers the electors real representation. The first party to do so has a chance of being in government.

Regards Capitol

[Dave]

When you are right, you are very right :-)

Dave

[Andy Hall]

.... and raiding of pension funds. That will make all of the above but a mere bagatelle. Now who was it who did that? Let me see.... ah yes.... the communist living next door to Mr Teflon.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My pension fund appears to be capable of giving my final salary based amount despite being 'frozen' for some 15 years (after I got made redundant) and having the 'excess' removed by the new owner of the company. As well as any subsequent taxation. Perhaps you need to look more closely at the management of yours?

[dennis]

Scargill destroyed the coal industry!

He turned it into a political weapon by trying to bring the government down. The only response possible was to diversify the power generation and hence the death of the mines. That is the job of government to protect the population from idiots.

Without Scargill we would probably still be burning the dirty stuff in power stations.

[Matt]

You do talk some utter bullshit.

The "response" was already decided before any dispute arose, that was the *whole* point of the dispute.

Without Thatcher we would still have control of a diverse energy supply located within our own national boundaries. One bitch goes on a power trip and the whole country suffers for years / decades / centuries.

Thatcher's legacy to the nation. Burn in hell bitch.

[Tony Bryer]

Well initially the directors of lots of companies who took pension fund contribution holidays and paid the money out to shareholders instead.

"Collectively, according to Inland Revenue figures, employers saved almost £18bn during the 1990s pension holidays - although staff were forced to carry on making payments"

article is not very kind to Gordon Brown either, though it does point out that the removal of pension fund tax credits was partly to fund a cut in Corporation Tax - SDA is a company and we now pay 19% v. 23% ten years ago - the sort of tax change the Daily Mail never mentions!