Hello everyone,
Today I don’t have a problem or question, but rather a tip to share:
We don’t have a rainwater tank, so we have been using a lot of water from our outdoor faucet for watering our "garden" (currently just growing lawn) and for work on our outdoor area (mixing concrete, etc.). This, of course, incurs both fresh water and wastewater charges. However, since this water does not go into the sewer system, I looked into it:
In our municipality (this can be regulated differently by each municipality in their wastewater regulations), it is possible to install a so-called garden water meter / outdoor water meter.
Regulations in our municipality (may vary elsewhere):
If I had known and implemented this at the beginning of the outdoor work, I would have saved the cost by now.
Maybe this tip will help someone else as well.
Today I don’t have a problem or question, but rather a tip to share:
We don’t have a rainwater tank, so we have been using a lot of water from our outdoor faucet for watering our "garden" (currently just growing lawn) and for work on our outdoor area (mixing concrete, etc.). This, of course, incurs both fresh water and wastewater charges. However, since this water does not go into the sewer system, I looked into it:
In our municipality (this can be regulated differently by each municipality in their wastewater regulations), it is possible to install a so-called garden water meter / outdoor water meter.
Regulations in our municipality (may vary elsewhere):
- A calibrated meter can be installed by yourself (available online with mounting materials for under 30 euros; these meters are certified for 6 years)
- The meter must be accessible to the municipality if required (for reading)
- The meter reading must be submitted to the municipality by January 15
- No wastewater fees are charged for the water used once the consumption exceeds 10 cubic meters (why it starts at 10, neither I nor the municipal official know, but that is what the regulation states :rolleyes)
- I found this information in the wastewater fee statute and the wastewater fee increase statute
If I had known and implemented this at the beginning of the outdoor work, I would have saved the cost by now.
Maybe this tip will help someone else as well.
S
Sebastian7930 Aug 2016 16:17It should be better – but I don’t have the details.
And you can hear my pump running.
And you can hear my pump running.
Sebastian79 schrieb:
It is allowed – and if not, I wouldn’t care anyway.
According to tests, the groundwater here is supposed to be better than the municipal water.The drilling company probably wouldn’t have done the work if they cared about their business.
S
Sebastian7930 Aug 2016 17:41I highly doubt that.
For us, the rules are similar to those in the opening post, except that the counting starts from the first cubic meter.
It definitely pays off for us, even with the cistern, because with regular watering, its 6 cubic meters (6,000 liters) of storage volume can run empty during heatwaves like we’ve had in recent days.
It definitely pays off for us, even with the cistern, because with regular watering, its 6 cubic meters (6,000 liters) of storage volume can run empty during heatwaves like we’ve had in recent days.
The problem with the meter is unfortunately that, depending on the regulations, it must be installed in a "frost-proof" way. If, during construction, the supply line to the external meter runs under the screed, there’s not much you can do about it. The argument that we ourselves are interested in having the meter simply removed outdoors during winter was dismissed. It’s supposed to be done by a professional installer anyway, which is completely nonsensical. I want the meter to stay in place as long as possible. If it’s missing, it costs me more. So why would I remove the meter except during winter?
The end result: we have no meter and just pay the full amount.
The end result: we have no meter and just pay the full amount.
Hi,
Yep, that is indeed a critical point. It’s really a matter of luck, depending on which official you ask: Our neighbors were able to simply buy a meter at the hardware store for 20 euros, install and remove it themselves, and just report the usage. That amount is then deducted from the main meter’s consumption, and that’s it.
We should definitely buy a meter from the local utility company (okay, that would have been around 30 euros), but a utility technician needs to come and install and remove it. The cost is about twice 50 euros per year, so you don’t really save anything that way.
In the new building, the garden water taps (there are going to be 2) are therefore not connected to the regular ring main but to a separate line. The advantage is that we can shut off the garden water in the basement and also install a meter that is permanently frost-proof.
Best regards,
Andreas
Payday schrieb:
The problem with the meter is unfortunately that, depending on local regulations, it must be installed "frost-proof." If during construction the supply line to the outdoor meter runs under the screed, there’s not much you can do about it.
Yep, that is indeed a critical point. It’s really a matter of luck, depending on which official you ask: Our neighbors were able to simply buy a meter at the hardware store for 20 euros, install and remove it themselves, and just report the usage. That amount is then deducted from the main meter’s consumption, and that’s it.
We should definitely buy a meter from the local utility company (okay, that would have been around 30 euros), but a utility technician needs to come and install and remove it. The cost is about twice 50 euros per year, so you don’t really save anything that way.
In the new building, the garden water taps (there are going to be 2) are therefore not connected to the regular ring main but to a separate line. The advantage is that we can shut off the garden water in the basement and also install a meter that is permanently frost-proof.
Best regards,
Andreas
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