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Do you have any idea how much you are paying for your water? One of the great embarrassments of strata living in this state is that most of us aren’t paying for the water we actually use.
Unless you have individual water meters, water will be charged to you in your levies on the basis of your unit entitlements rather than usage.
It means that lonely Ms Haversham in the sub-penthouse, who is environmentally aware and conserves water like a Supermax prisoner guards his food, could be paying five times as much for water as the couple and their couch-surfing mate in the studio on the ground floor (where the shower is their only refuge for ‘alone time’).
It’s even more of a sting if you are in a building with a centralised hot water system or, even worse, if you’re in a mixed commercial building with a cafe, hairdresser and launderette on the same system.
Apart from the inequity involved, this is a serious disincentive for water saving. Why should Ms H bother saving water if she’s paying for the rest of the building? Why would the mates in the studio care about how much hot water they use when they’re not charged for it?
And it’s not just the wasted water, there’s energy burned needlessly in pumping additional water to the upper floors of most buildings more than three storeys high.
Retrofitting individual meters is one answer although it could be costly and Sydney Water may complain about reading 120 meters instead of just one. By the way, individual meters benefit landlords because tenants pay for their water usage rather than landlords paying a share of the building’s.
I heard recently that an apartment block had been planned with one water meter, one electricity meter and one gas meter for the whole building – because it’s cheaper for the developers.
Government should force all new strata developments to have individual metering and offer real help to give the rest of us control over our water bills.
The debate is heating up – go to the Forum to be part of it
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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I agree JimmyT. My villa is empty because for the past nine months I have been caring for my elderly mother in her house. Each quarter, I am paying $145 for water.
I realise this also contributes to the lawns and gardens around our complex, and, it does not seem a huge amount of money, but I would prefer an individual meter and will put in on the Agenda for our AGM.
As a member of the Owners Corporation Network, a not-for-profit peak organisation for residential strata owners (www.ocn.org.au), I've been helping strata owners have a voice on water-related issues.
Sydney Water is currently reviewing its position on individual water metering in strata buildings and in late 2011 approached the OCN for feedback on strata customers' views.
OCN has communicated to Sydney Water that it supports the following:
- Developers be mandated responsibility for arranging installation of individual unit meters in all new residential strata developments
- This mandated installation of metering be for both hot and cold water
- Developers pay for installation of meters; Sydney Water thereafter own and maintain meters
- Sydney Water bills individual strata owners directly for their water usage in such schemes
- Sydney Water explore providing a framework for retrofitting unit sub-meters by owners corporations in existing strata buildings.
The benefits of individual metering and charging households directly for water usage are:
Equitable water usage charging.
Individual households are able to reduce their water usage to manage their water bill.
Sending direct price signals to as many customers as possible promotes more efficient water use and reduces pressure on supplies.The OCN has also made submissions to the current Independent Pricing & Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) Review of Sydney Water Prices and IPART Review of Metropolitan Utilities Price Structures, both of which are reviewing the pricing of water for strata schemes. The OCN submissions can be found at the IPART website https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au
Joining the Owners Corporation Network is a good way to learn about dealing with the challenges of strata living and also a way to have a say.
That's great news for Residents / Owners in new Developments and for those that already have metering to individual Units, but I have a strong feeling that such Developments are in the minority, and after 30+ years in the Water Industry I know that Water Authorities have thereby succeeded in missing a boat that they never really wanted to catch.
Whilst Sydney Water and others may (again) “explore” frameworks whereby Owners Corporations (O/C) may retrofit sub-meters to individual Lots, that's just code for “we might tell you how it can be done and we might give you the meters, but you'll have to pay the plumber, you'll have to do the readings, and you'll have to do the billing”.
Access aside, readings aren't too difficult but with regard to billing, Lot Owners' Contributions are a product of the Plan's Budget and the fixed Units of Entitlement created when the Plan was Registered, and whilst the component of a Budget that relates to water usage for the Common Property may be off-set to account for Income received from Proprietors' Reimbursements (for their Lots' water usage), believe me that's not easy to manage OR to have resolved at an AGM; I've tried.
In the interests of Demand Management and more considered water use by households and others, I sincerely hope that some practical solution emerges from the latest deliberations, but deep-down I'm skeptical as that boat's long left the pier.
With all the past actions of government to make homes “greener” (insulation batts and solar panels) I wonder why government doesn't step in and offer a financial hand to have individual meters installed. Even a partial payment would help OCs to fund such changes. And by having each and every owner responsible for their own water usage is the only way to teach them good habits.
I am so grateful that I have my own meter. In this household, water usage is half that of the average (for no. of occupants). That is with an ancient washing machine and garden. And I have not noticed much change in the amount I am charged each quarter – minimum amount. I have no doubt that should we have a shared water meter here that I would be paying 3 times the amount. Why would you consider your water usuage if someone else was paying for it? The thought of having a 30 minute shower with the guy next door with his 5 min shower chipping in for my water usuage is even appealing to me!
With more and more medium and high density living expected in our cities and with government departments looking at ways to preserve/conserve/make water for use, I believe that the matter of shared water meters has been overlooked at a way at reducing the misuse of this precious and necessary commodity.
Am I missing something in this debate?
As an owner, if I were to have an individual water meter installed then surely not only would I pay my individual amount but also a proportion of the water used by everyone else (via admin fees)?
If that's the case, then I can't imagine too many owners requesting permission to install individual water meters – rather we should be pushing for entire buildings to be separately metered.
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