One suspects the customers regret getting a water meter because their bills have gone up. Nevertheless, these figures suggest that water companies are failing to communicate the need for meters and their potential advantages to customers. This is a failure that could be attributed to the industry as a whole, for only a handful of companies have meters firmly on their agenda, and only one (Thames) has embraced smart meters.
In a world in which resources are becoming ever more precious, and weather ever more uncertain, the general public’s prevalent view of water as an abundant, low-cost, never-ending commodity must be challenged.
Who should lead the charge? For Lord Redesdale, who we interview this week in his role as chief executive of the Energy Managers Association, Ofwat seems to be the answer (p8). The prominent Liberal Democrat questions the enthusiasm with which Ofwat has embraced its duty to promote water efficiency, going so far as to say: “If we don’t see evidence of change soon then someone will end up taking them to judicial review – it could be me.”
Lord Redesdale would no doubt agree that people who have water meters should understand why, and should see the benefits of using them to gather consumption information and increase their water efficiency. The reputational risks of meters being installed without this understanding become clear later in the survey, where we read that 22 per cent of respondents who don’t have water meters become “furious” at the idea of having one fitted, and 9 per cent would not let the meter fitter through the door.
There is a salutary lesson here for energy suppliers. Smart meters will only have the desired impact if householders understand and use them on a continuous basis. Meter fitters will only get through the nation’s front doors if the rollout is well managed, well understood and well spoken of. Let’s hope that in 2020 we’re not reading surveys suggesting that one-third of householders regret having a smart meter installed.