Love splashing out in a bath? Gizmos won’t save you cash
GADGET SEVEN: WATER METER
THEIR advocates say a smart water meter can provide savings for some homes as bills are based on actual consumption rather than on a set fee.
Households with fewer occupants than bedrooms should be better off with a meter but bath-loving larger families would be worse off.
Industry body Consumer Council for Water offers a calculator on its website to help you determine which option is best.
Water bills have doubled over the past 15 years and now average £395 a year. Around £185 of this is for supplying fresh water while the rest is for taking it away and cleaning up waste.
About two in five homes already have a water meter.
A growing number of these are ‘smart’, allowing readings to be taken without anyone
having to visit. Thames Water claims that the smart water meter can help it spot leaks – and is busy installing millions of them in new homes.
The reality is that the biggest beneficiaries of smart meters are the water firms.
Leigh Calton of Cerulean Digital consultancy also points to devices such as Hive Leak Sensor that costs £3.99 a month.
It may not lower insurance premiums but it will prove its worth if a tiny water leak is spotted before