Did you know that millions of Australians living in apartment buildings have shared water meters? One water meter for the whole building means people are often billed for water that they haven't used. The solution is to introduce individual water sub meters, so every person only pays for the water they use. The National Measurement Institute (NMI) currently does not allow the right size sub meters for apartments - sign the petition to tell them we need a change!

 

 

 

WHAT IS A SUB METER?

All apartment or multi-unit dwellings have a main water meter to record the total water used in the building. A sub meter is an additional smaller meter that can be installed to an individual apartment to determine the amount of water used in that apartment. Currently new apartment buildings are required to fit sub meters as part of their initial construction, but there are thousands of older apartment buildings across Australia which currently have no retro fit solution.

 

Without sub meters

* One meter for all apartments

* Total bill is divided unfairly - not on actual water used

* Landlords are legally unable to pass on ANY water charges to tenants, meaning tenants can use as much water as they wish, without any incentive to save

* Just one wasteful tenant can make everyone’s rent increase as landlords need to pass on the extra building water costs

 

With sub meters

* Separate meters for all apartments

* The bill is divided fairly in a true ‘user pays’ system

* Landlords can legally pass on water charges to tenants, meaning tenants are encouraged to use water responsibly

* Rent remains stable, with water costs no longer needing to be absorbed by landlords

 

SO WHY CAN'T AUSTRALIANS USE SUB METERS?

The problem is that whilst sub meters are tried, tested and approved by international standards, they are currently not approved for use in Australia - simply because they are too small. Current legislation (sometimes referred to as the ‘200 Rule’) only approves two sizes of meter for domestic use (2500L/hr and 4000L/hr). But not only are these two sizes too big for a single apartment (1600L/hr is a much better fit), they are also difficult and costly to retro fit to existing apartment buildings because they require massive changes to the plumbing infrastructure.

Australia's National Measurement Institute (NMI) is a signatory to the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) and is about to review the Australian standards for water metering. When the NMI adopts the updated standard OIML R49 (2013), Fair Water Meters is calling on them to remove or relax the ‘200 Rule’ to allow smaller sub meters to be used and to bring Australia into line with world water metering standards.

Everyone can see how sub meters make water fairer for all parties involved. They encourage responsible water use, lower wastage, and help to keep rent prices stable. So sign the petition now to bring Australia up to date with the rest of the world and allow apartment owners to install these sub meters in their units. More detail can be found on our website at www.fairwatermeters.com.au.

Let’s keep water fair for everyone!