YESTERDAY’S CONFERENCE on water metering in Croke Park heard from a UK utility company which has just over one million household drinking water customers – similar to the number in the Republic.
Southern Water is also rolling out “universal water metering” to customers. This process will involve the addition of 500,000 meters and 100,000 replacement meters between now and 2015.
This is less ambitious than the Republic’s attempt to roll out one million-plus metres to domestic customers on time for water charges to be introduced by the end of 2013.
Some 8 per cent of Southern Water’s customers will still be without meters by 2015. They will continue to be assessed for charges based on the number of people in each household.
Director of Southern Water’s metering programme, Darren Bentham, said the company was committed to ultimately moving all customers to metering, and was engaged in an education programme to convince customers – and members of parliament – that paying for what they used was the fairest way forward.
He said convincing customers of the benefits of metered supply had been difficult, as they initially did not trust the charge, convinced it was just a stealth tax.
Company officials would work out with customers how to reduce wastage in water and energy services such as gas or oil, he added.
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