The majority of our customers who don’t already have smart meters live in Rissington and much of our work will focus on installing water meters here. If you already have a meter, there is nothing for you to do.
However, by 2025 we aim to have all water supplies metered – we believe this is fairest for customers and better for the environment.
Work will start in 2023, ready for the commencement of our 2025 Water Resources Management Plan.
We will be contacting all customers currently on assessed charges to discuss the installation of a meter and the change to charging arrangements. Whilst our approach will be in line with current regulations on compulsory metering, we will be happy to consider individual and special needs criteria. We anticipate that for many this will mean a reduction in the number of your bills, so please don’t worry. We will help you through the transition.
Keeping you informed
Periodically we will let you know how our installation plan is progressing, and you can check our website for updates.
What to do now
If you are currently on assessed charge billing and would like to be an early leader in this initiative then please let us know. Either drop an email to our Customer Services team using customer.services@albionwater.co.uk or apply for a meter form on our website.
Why meters are fairer, including for the environment
Water scarcity and the requirement to safeguard our water supplies to ensure that we minimise the impact of drought is a very real problem that affects us all. The Government has designated the area in which we operate as being in ‘serious water stress’.
As a responsible water company, Albion Water has a plan to deal with the three main challenges affecting water supplies:
- Climate change – heat waves and changes to rainfall patterns will mean that water stress will be more common in future
- Population growth – over two million more people are estimated to live in England by 2030
- Environment – Nature and wildlife need water too, so we need to take less water from streams, rivers, and underground sources
Reducing the demand for water is an important part of how we will successfully meet this challenge and keep you and our other customers supplied with water at all times.
Evidence shows that, on average, homes with a water meter use 15 per cent less than homes without one. So, metering is a cost effective and sustainable way to encourage people to use water more wisely and bring down overall demand. Metering also helps customers manage their bills, as they understand how much water they are using and what it costs.
This is why we will be installing meters at all the properties we supply and will be charging all customers based on the amount of water they use in the future.
The Installation process
We will contact you before we install the water meter and keep you informed about the progress.
We will need to carry out an inspection to determine where best to install the meter. We expect to be able to install most new water meters in the pavement, in which case you will not need to be home. We will need to turn your water supply off while we put the meter in but we will always check before we do.
However, if you live in a flat or have a shared supply with other properties we may need to install your meter inside your property. If this is the case, we will work with you to agree the best way forward.
The change to a measured/metered bill – Rissington
Following the installation of your new meter, we will check for leaks and make sure the meter is working correctly.
Unless you opt in from the start, we will not move you on to metered billing straight away, to give you time to understand, plan and adjust to the changes.
We will send you a letter three months after the installation of your new meter so you can see both the assessed and metered bill for the period. You will be able to see the difference between assessed and measured charging. If metered billing is cheaper for you then you can switch to metered billing as soon as you would like to.
We will send another comparison letter after six months, and you can opt for metered billing if that’s what you would like to do. Otherwise, you will stay on assessed billing for a further six months.
At the end of this period we will send you your last assessed bill, and all bills thereafter will be metered.
Support for a meter bill
We will be offering our support, to help you adjust, including free water-saving advice, and where appropriate through schemes like social tariffs and WaterSure.