Metering can change customers’ water use

Universal metering has the potential to change the way households use water.

Customers’ water saving habits are largely driven by their desire to reduce their bills, research by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) and Southern Water into customers’ experiences of the company’s Universal Metering Programme.

The research – which was carried out during the summer of 2016 – examined how customers responded to compulsory water metering, from the moment they found out about metering through to their first metered bill and beyond.

It found that the overriding concern of most customers was about the financial impact and the predictability of their water bill after metering. Those who saw bill increases were less happy but there was evidence those experiencing genuine financial issues were well supported.

CCWater said more needs to be done to maintain focus on water efficient behaviour over time and offer customers more innovative approaches to reducing water use.

Southern Water was the first company to roll out a large-scale compulsory metering programme, which ran from 2010 to 2015. More than 400,000 water meters were fitted across its water supply area, covering parts of Hampshire, Kent and Sussex, as part of wider efforts to tackle growing pressure on water resources in the South East of England.

Southern Water said it will use this research to inform its ongoing communication with metered customers and any future metering activity, as well as provide advice and guidance to other water companies embarking on metering programmes.

CCWater chief executive Tony Smith said: “Metering can get households thinking more about how they use water, especially when it results in lower bills. But this research shows that it’s also vital customers receive the right level of support and their concerns are handled very sensitively by water companies.

 “We look forward to using the invaluable insights from this research to help inform the development of future compulsory metering programmes.”

Southern Water chief executive Matthew Wright said: “Metering in general, and compulsory metering in particular, poses the challenge of balancing fairness and affordability of charges and the long-term need for reliable and sustainable water supplies. Metering is a fundamental change in consumers’ relationship with water, as they move from flat rate charges to paying for the volume of water they use.

“As the first company to roll out a large-scale metering programme we were extremely conscious that we put our customers at the heart and it is great to see that customers on the whole had a good experience. I hope that the companies who are following suit learn lessons from our experience.”