Gardening, hosepipes and water meters

[Primrose]

There are only two of us living in our house and on the law of averages we would probably benefit financially from installing a water meter. However, as a vegetable grower and gardener I'm conscious I use a large amount of hosepiped water to keep my vegs and plants adequately watered with our light non-moisture retentative soil. We have water butts installed but with back problems I can't always lug their contents in watering cans down to the veg plot in the quantities required.

So my question is: How many of you garden veg growers have water meters installed and does this make watering your garden with a hosepipe an expensive proposition?

[peter]

All our allotment sites are metered and we use horse troughs, hoses are banned.

One single naughty tenant fitted a tap and used a hose.

That site's bill that year was more than the six other sites combined!

The subsequent hunt for a leak found one lush allotment and a lightly concealed tap.

[Pawty]

Hi,

At our allotment there is no mains supply. Standpipes only, so you have to pump all the water by hand unless you have a shed and collect the water in water butts.

At home I have water butts (the house is on a meter). I only have a couple of raised beds, lot of pots, and a herb garden but have managed to do all my watering this year from the water butts.

Pawty

[Pa Snip]

Sorry can't do a cost comparison for you Primrose.

We have taps and troughs positioned in the four corners of the site and hoses are allowed.

The main issue one section have (the section I'm in) is the tenant who hogs the tap for up to 2 hours at a time and sometimes another hour later in the day

There have been times when he has left a sprinkler operating on his plot and gone off site.
I find that pure selfish ignorance

[robo]

We have taps down the track that is down the middle of the allotment as much water as we want and all free , pa snip I leave my house pipe connected to the tap all the time I'm on the plot but I have fitted a double connector on the tap so we can fit 2 pipes on it at once obviously I have discussed it with the other plotters who could use the tap, as far as I know metered water is expensive

[snooky]

Morning Primrose,
I have the same thoughts as you. South East Water have "forced"us against our wishes and installed a water meter in our property quoting Government policy in saving water in this area of Hampshire thus putting the onus on the consumer to save water and not the water company by them repairing leaks as soon as and building more reservoirs.
There are four adults in the house so that is four showers a day,the dishwasher used once a day as is the washing machine,toilet flushing and the "extras" such as water for the necessary cups of tea!And,of course,watering the garden.I have water butts and use that water for the lime-hating plants because our water is so hard.
Besides the fresh water charges, 117 pence per cubic meter plus standing charges;sewage 81pence per cubic metre plus a standing charge there could be a charge for surface water removal. According to the water meter calculator on the money saving expert site we will be no worse off but we are trying to save water and cost to ourselves.Talking to neighbours who already had meters installed couples and one person households saved money but families with small children and teenagers spent more.For us time will tell,
evaluating the situation in years time,at present we are using just over half a cubic metre of water a day but we have sorted out water saving measures.The water companies reckon that 220 cubic metres is the average household(two adults,two children)usage