Garden water meter: save money with a separate water meter

Especially in dry summer periods, you cannot avoid using tap water for watering your garden. So that you can save the wastewater fee and thus money, it is worth installing a garden water meter.

Reasons & advantages

The way a garden water meter works is basically very simple: You only pay the water fees and The wastewater fees are saved, as the irrigation water eventually seeps into the ground and is not reprocessed got to. Thus, a separate water meter for the garden has tangible advantages, because it saves money. Your water supplier usually charges you twice for every cubic meter of tap water Fees, whereby the wastewater fees are many times higher due to the costs of the treatment are. Since there is no wastewater in the garden, the supplier deducts the due wastewater fee for tap water consumed there from the bill. If you have a large garden that needs a lot of water, you can save several hundred euros per year.

Tip: It's even cheaper if you have one in the garden Create a well or collect rainwater in cisterns. However, well construction is only worthwhile if the groundwater is accordingly close below the surface.

Regulations & requirements

However, you are not allowed to simply install the separate water meter as you wish. With every municipality or In this regard, the municipality has specific regulations that you have to follow meticulously if you want to save money with the garden water meter and not get into trouble. This includes finding out about the applicable regulations and requirements in advance from the local water supplier. These are always based on local statutes, which can often be viewed online or on request. Although the regulations in Germany differ from one another, there are some things that everyone has in common:

• only officially approved and calibrated water meters are permitted
• Garden owner is responsible for installation
• Ask the landlord in the case of leased gardens or rented houses
• The meter must be checked regularly by the utility or municipality
• recalibration is required every six years. Meter change due
• Compliance with the hygiene regulations of the Drinking Water Ordinance

The latter mainly relates to the risk of Legionella, which is particularly evident in warm summer temperatures multiply very quickly and cause serious health complications cause. Regular maintenance and meter replacement, in turn, also result in fees, which, however, usually range between approx. Move between 30 and 100 euros - the exact amount depends on your provider.

installation

There are different ways to get a garden water meter:

• Buy and install meters yourself at the hardware store
• Installation by a specialist company
• Buy meters from the supplier or optionally rent them

So that the water for the garden is billed correctly (and you do not get into trouble during a check), you have to mount the meter on the outside water pipe. There are also various options here: some water meters are permanently installed, while others are simply screwed on. However, they all have to be sealed. Also make sure that the meter is installed in the house if possible, otherwise you will have to dismantle it in winter - it must not be exposed to frost, otherwise it will break.

Note: You are not allowed to read the meter yourself and transmit the values ​​to the utility in all municipalities. In some cases, the utility takes over the annual reading itself.

Water consumption & savings

How much money you can actually save with the garden water meter depends on various factors:

• Size of the garden
• Type of planting
• Soil type
• Weather / frequency of precipitation
• Sewage fee

Basically, gardens with sandy or permeable soils have a higher water consumption than gardens with loamy soils. They store rainwater better, which is why you don't have to water your plants as often. The type of planting also plays a major role in water consumption and thus in costs: a lawn, for example, is much more water-intensive than a stone or prairie garden. Your cost savings through a separate water meter can therefore turn out to be very different, depending on your situation.

frequently asked Questions