Affinity water forcing meter charges

[Lorenz]

Hi everyone and happy new year!

I received a letter from Affinity Water telling me that they had fitted a water meter outside my property (I didn't even know about this) and from next summer they will start charging me accordingly to the meter.

At the moment I am paying fixed rate and accordingly to their calculations my water bill will go up 400% from £350 to £1400 approx.

I remember reading somewhere that they can install meters to understand what the water demand is in their areas, but they can't force you to be billed by the meter if you don't want to. 

Now I can't find any info about this, apart from the usual Facebook "freemen of the land" advising not to pay any bills whatsoever 

Do you have any info about this please?

Thanks

[Nicky Boy]

Happy New Year to you also,

This may be of interest...

What a water meter could do to your bills – and why you may be forced to have one

WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

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In some areas meters are now mandatory, and won't necessarily make bills cheaper

Strangely, in the body of the article, Affinity appear to be rolling out compulsory metering, but in the table at the bottom of the article, it says they are not making meters compulsory... Go figure.

[Homer67]

Happened to me and I wasn't even told, first I knew was when a bill arrived quoting a meter reading, I went outside to check and where the property stop cock was in the street a meter had been installed.

I was not happy.

[Lorenz]

Thanks @Nicky Boy.

I read the article but doesn't explain whethere the compulsory fitting means compulsory billing.

My question is: given that legislations must be adhered by the letter, saying that water companies can impose fitting of water meters, doesn't mean that they can impose billing by meters.

Otherwise the legislator would've used the words "charging by meter".

Did the legislator make a mistake or this is one of the times where a company can interpret the law in their favour?

In other words, does the legislation give them power to charge me by meter even if it's not explicitly mentioned?

Please note, I'm assuming there's no mention of charging by meter in law and would be great if anyone could point out which legislation applies here.

Thanks

[kjun]

Water meters are permitted to be fitted by companies in designated areas of water stress regardless of whether one is wanted and Affinity Water is in such an area as is the one I work for (not Affinity).

The part regarding charging by water meter would be covered by s.143 of The Water Industry Act which allows water companies to make a ‘Charges Scheme” in which it would be detailed the provision to charge if you a water meter fitted.

It is fairest way as people pay for what they use just like electric and gas.

[Ethel Street]

In inner London where I live Thames Water installed meters to the whole street over 10 years ago but they didn't try to move us on to water meter charging.

They didn't tell us they were putting the meters in but as they were in the public pavement not on my property I couldn't see any reason why they needed to tell us or get our agreement.

I got regular emails and mailshots from.them inviting me to voluntarily switch to paying by meter which I ignored.

Then last year everyone who still wasn't paying by meter got a formal notice that TW was compulsorily moving everyone to metered supply.

TW stated they were entitled to do this because they had declared London a water stress area or something like that and this entitled them to impose metering. I don't have the exact details handy at the moment but probably the law kjun quotes. They also said it was approved  by OFWAT.

That's probably what Affinity are doing to you. Have you asked them the legal basis they are using?