Earth Hour 2011
It’s that time of year again – Saturday March 26th at 8:30pm is Earth Hour.
For those of you who don’t know about Earth Hour it’s a worldwide movement where people switch of the power for one hour. You might ask how much energy is saved by switching everything off for one hour, but it’s more than that – it’s a politic statement, a social, cultural and environmental statement…
The Water Meter is Paying Off
Four days ago we were sent our latest water bill for the forthcoming year (April 2011-March 2012). Seeing that we had a water meter installed nearly a year ago we were pretty shocked to see that the bill was 10% more than the previous year. Last year the water bill was £320. This year it was £350. One person, a water meter, and the cost of water supply and removal went UP?
Immediately after receiving the bill we called South East Water to ask why they still had the house on the “RV” or Rateable Value tariff.
Today, just four days later, we were sent our revised bill – We are currently in credit to the tune of £213.35 however the very helpful telephone staff at South East Water said that we “couldn’t pay nothing” so we’ve got a monthly payment schedule of £2.00 a month.
The water company cocked up with their engineer not informing them of the install of the meter, the meter hasn’t been read (Because SEW were unaware we had one) and so we paid over the top for our water. So this is justice for having forked out £320 last year.
The next step is that SEW will take a meter reading and then re-issue a new bill based on our water consumption which, for a pretty green household, should be low.
There’s been no mention of a refund yet but it looks like having a water meter fitted is finally paying off. I’ve also heard that there is a single occupancy rate for people who might live on their own in a 3-bed property but I shall have a chat with Ofwat and let you know the results of that discussion too.
New Water Meter, New Water Bill
Do you remember when we had that water meter fitted in May last year?
The main reason was a financial one – We’ve got a short-flush toilet, a shower and we keep our water usage low and yet last year’s bill, from South East Water, for April 1st 2010 – March 31st 2011, was still a whopping £320. Considering the house is single occupancy for 44 weeks of the year that’s a lot of money to splash out on H2O. I figured that by fitting a water meter the water bill would go down.
March 15th 2011 – The water bill comes through the door and the cost for the forthcoming year is – £350! So I get a meter fitted and my bill goes UP nearly 10%. I’ve had a water meter for nearly a year and, looking at the details of the bill, they’re still charging me based upon the Rateable Value of my house. It’s only a 3-bed semi but I’m being charged the same amount as my next-door neighbour and there are 4 people living at their property (4x as many showers, toilet flushes, washing machine loads etc).
I called South East Water to tell them they were taking the piss (and the rain water, the bath water, the dish water etc.) and they immediately spotted that they were still charging me on “the RV”. I asked why this was so and they stuttered a bit to explain but blamed it on a systems failure between the installation engineer and the backend system at the water company.
South East Water have said that they will send me a revised bill, so watch out for an update – I’ve gone green and I’m trying to save money so let’s hope this works out to our advantage rather than for the shareholders of the utility company.
SO – If you’ve just got your water bill and you’ve had a water meter installed make sure you’re not being charged at the Rateable Value and inform your water company immediately. We’re trying to go green, use less water and drive our costs down, so good luck people!
Triodos Bank Comments on RBS/Natwest Customer Charter
I decided last year to start investing some of my savings with Triodos Bank. As a green and ethical citizen I though that I’d vote with my “green” and give it to an ethical bank that would invest my meagre savings in a positive way. Whilst I’ve deposited the tiniest amount with them, I intend to move most of my savings to Triodos to ensure all my money is being looked after by and invested in sustainable causes.
So it was great interest today that I saw a press release from Triodos Bank – Hot on the heels of the RBS Customer Charter and the Natwest Customer Charter it seems that Triodos are about as pleased with RBS and Natwest as RBS and Natwest customers are! Here’s the Triodos press release:
Commenting on the RBS / Natwest customer charter, Charles Middleton, UK managing director at Triodos Bank, said:
“These service commitments should be bread and butter for all banks. Firstly, customers have a right to a basic level of service yet it’s clear that some banks continue to fail to deliver. Little wonder, then, that when asked, one in five (21%) Brits could not find a single reason to recommend their bank*.
“Customers are entitled to expect more from their banks. The customer service element should be a given but we believe the public should be asking for, and getting, more than this, for example, some sense of what their bank is doing with the money they entrust to it, and greater transparency on investment decisions. Amazingly, 35% of UK banking customers think their money simply sits in a bank vault or benefits from occasional interest. Few realise how a bank may actually be using their money, and most banks don’t make it easy for customers to be more aware of this and give their opinion. However, 61% of people would like to be with a bank that shares their values.
“We urge dissatisfied customers to take action, approach their banks and demand not just a basic level of service, but more than this, including transparency on how they use savers’ deposits, so that the public can vote with its feet on issues that matter to them.”
A recent, separate survey among Triodos Bank customers revealed 94% of the ethical bank’s customers would recommend Triodos to others. Other findings from Triodos customer survey among 1000 customers in February:
- 63% choose to save with Triodos as they know how their money is being used
- Less than 5% feel negative or indifferent about saving with Triodos, most customers are satisfied, happy, content
- 51% trust Triodos to do the right thing
- 69% feel like they are doing the right thing by banking with Triodos
* Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ from 19th to 21st January 2011. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.
Well, I wasn’t polled or interviewed but I can say, as a green, an environmentalist, cheerleader of localism, organic food fan, ethics ambassador, supporter of social responsibility & sustainability etc etc etc that I feel 100% satisfied with the way Triodos Bank handle and invest my money.
Long may it continue