Water meters for all homes

South East Water roll out by 2018 … and promise cheaper bills

WATER METERS are to be installed in every home in Wokingham in an ambitious plan to save water.

South East Water said that the scheme is compulsory and being introduced after the Environment Agency classed the region as one facing serious water stress due to housing growth and climate change.

It will affect 6,300 properties in the town and surrounding villages including Finchampstead and the work is expected to be completed by 2018.

It is expected that customers will see their water bills reduce as a result of the switch, which will be completed next year.

The Environment Agency declared South East Water’s franchise area as being an area of serious water stress. Thames Water is also in the same category.

However, a pressure group campaigning against the plans disagree, saying that the meters damage health by issuing bursts of microwave radiation into homes and lead to higher bills - although South East Water told The Wokingham Paper that the meters are ‘dumb’ meters that will be read manually every six months.

The project was started by the company in 2011, and has seen more than 500,000 metres installed in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.

South East Water said that customers will have more control over how much they pay for their water as, unlike a fixed rate scheme, water meter customers are only billed for what they use. The company said that most customers find their bills go down as a result, with households using 15% less water, saving money and helping the environment.

In the majority of cases, South East Water will install the meter on the external stop tap which is normally found in the footpath at the boundary of the property. The company said that customers will not need to be at home for this and any disruption caused will be minimal.

In a small number of cases, such as a shared water supply, the meter may need to be installed inside the property, often under the kitchen sink.

South East Water’s Metering Manager Oluseyi Onifade said: “When we install water meters we give our customers a welcome brochure. This has tips on how to use less water and also has details about some useful gadgets we can send to customers. These include shower timers and toilet flush savers. A four-minute shower is all we need to keep clean and a toilet flush saver uses two litres less water than a conventional cistern.

“Customers using less water will help protect the environment as less water needs to be taken from rivers, underground sources and reservoirs.

“All homes built since 1989 have water meters and all commercial properties are also metered. We believe it’s the fairest way to pay for water.”

But the campaign group Stop Smart Meters argues that in 2014 the then government minister for water, Dan Rogerson MP, wrote to fellow MP Nicholas Soames to say that “no water company is ever required to introduce compulsory metering, even if it is an area of severe water stress” and that the smart meters don’t pose a risk to health.

This is something that South East Water disputes, saying that that had been challenged on this issue on a number of occasions but Defra had supported its stance due to being in a water stressed area.

It added that it is committed to helping and advising residents.

A spokesperson said: “People who have anxieties or concerns, any questions they’ve got can come along to the sessions or contact the customer services team.”