[mintytwoshoes]

Hi Everyone!
Need some advice - does anyone know whether smallholdings can have a reduced water rate.  We have a water meter and with the animals drinking its really well above what a normal domestic rate would be.  We did ask the water board whether we could go on the fixed amount per year but when they visited they realised we had animals and said we had to stay on the meter.  It is terribly unfair as everyone else with stock around that I know of are not on a meter.  Any advice gratefully received.  I know there is a business rate but is it less or more and how do you get it?

[AndynJ]

You have to use loads to go on business tariff, we use £8500 a year and were not on business tariff, you can ask for a supply that is water only no sewage so its cheaper, we have rainwater tanks 26,000 litres each same size as an artic tanker. The pig farmer at the back of us is on business tariff though he uses 1/2 a million litres a month. Ours is the dearest water in the country and it's still only 2p for 10 litres, so 30 chickens cost 2p a day, a horse 4p, a pig 8p we supply all the animals/veg from rainwater its the 6 hot tubs and the 600 guests a year that use all the water. Think yourself lucky, I'll swap bills anytime you like.

[tizaala]

We are so lucky, we have a spring fed well that never goes dry, fresh clean ice cold water on demand for free, Welsh Water once sent us a bill for £700, we refused to pay as there was no supply to this address, they sent a man round to cut us off, I wished him luck.....I had to show him our spring fed well and header tank before he believed us. Nice try Welsh Water.

[renee]

Sounds like the same system as we had in Denamrk, I manged to cut out the sewage part of the payment as most of the water was used for the animals.
Here in Sweden I also have a well that cuts into a spring. As I have a café I had to have it checked for pollution . I chose to have the chemical analysis too as it was the first time I had ut done. £170 . But Now I can wait 3 more years before I need to test again and will not need to do the expensive chemical test.

[Cactus Jack]

I get my water from a cooperative well and it cost me about 86 pence per 1000 litres. No I have increased my stock and veg growing plus innumerable friends and relativises I am using 1000 per day.
I think that the fish in my aquaponics system are using most as they seem to be drinking water all day long.
Rainwater collection is the answer in my opinion, definitely for the veg 

[henchard]

It is terribly unfair....snip.........

Whilst anomalies in the billing system between metered and unmetered properties may not be equitable the principal that you pay for what you use of a valuable resource of clean treated water is not unreasonable in my opinion.

However, you may be being charged also for sewage on the basis of "what goes in, must come out", and that any water used creates roughly an equivalent amount in sewerage.

If you can show that a lot is being used for stock and thus not going back into the sewage system you should be able to get a rebate.

See step 3 in this link
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/cut-water-bills

Perhaps now is the time to start thinking how best you can harvest your own water from roof run off etc?

[nic99]

My advice would be to move to Scotland. Water rates are included in council tax. No meters up here, at least not in our corner of Fife.

[henchard]

My advice would be to move to Scotland. Water rates are included in council tax. No meters up here, at least not in our corner of Fife.

 There are meters in Scotland but as, I believe, Scottish Water charge customers for installing a domestic meter (approx. £284) and fixed charges are high there is no incentive to have them installed. Metres are installed free in England.

[honeyend]

I am on a water metre and do not pay for sewage as we have a septic tank. I have about 10 ponies, a couple of pigs plus a small bungalow. I have a dishwasher and usually shower and our bill is £50 -£100 a quarter depending on the season. Its £90  a time to empty the septic tank, 3-4 times a year. I think water is cheap, and well worth what we pay. I think we are all to used to the luxury of having clean drinking water. The chap across the road put in a borehole but I doubt that it that good or reliable as he is carting water for drinking.
 

[lachlanandmarcus]

My advice would be to move to Scotland. Water rates are included in council tax. No meters up here, at least not in our corner of Fife.

 There are meters in Scotland but as, I believe, Scottish Water charge customers for installing a domestic meter (approx. £284) and fixed charges are high there is no incentive to have them installed. Metres are installed free in England.

I suspect thats cos a lack of water is not normally the key issue facing us in Scotland   

[doganjo]

We could sell you some    Got LOADS of the stuff up here - and NO water meters! 

[mintytwoshoes]

Hi Everyone,
Just for the record we do live  in Scotland and we have been harvesting rain water off the roof too.  We water plants etc and I try to use rainwater to for outside washing jobs.  The concern I have is that the rain water off the roof is not clean enough for the animals particularly the chickens as I read somewhere that water butt water was not suitable for chickens - any experience of this anyone?   I try to economise but seem to be getting nowhere fast!

[doganjo]

I didn't even know that there were meters in Scotland - you learn something new every day - even at 70! 

Where are you? No meters in Central Scotland that I know of - any advance on that folks?

I suppose it depends what kind of roof your water is coming off as to whether it's Ok for hens or not - mine don't seem to bother whether their water is clean or not.  I can't stay and watch that they don't poop in it every minute of the day

[mojocafa]

I am in Arbroath and my neighbour has a water meter

[AndynJ]

Get the man about the house to have a wee outside whilst chickens are around they'll be drinking it before it's hit the floor, they'll drink from poodles etc so yep rainwater is pretty darn good in comparison.
The thread is in the wrong section should have been in "jokes & funnies" or headline news
"HOME IN SCOTLAND HAS WATER SHORTAGE" 
1st time in 400 years 
Bigger rainwater tanks be the answer.