The many ways Advizzo helps unmetered households
Believe it or not, water meters have been around since the mid eighteenth century1. Today they are a common feature in many homes across the UK and any new properties built since 1991 have had water meters installed at the time of construction. However, there are still plenty of homes that don’t have a water meter and are therefore not receiving accurate water bills. The good news is, Advizzo has a solution that will help water suppliers gain a far more accurate estimate of unmetered household’s water consumption.
Smart meters rollouts across the UK are well underway, but many homes are still without. That’s down to a combination of factors including the roll-out progress, personal choice or because the property simply can’t be metered – it’s in a block of flats or converted building where the water supply is partly or wholly shared or there’s no space to install a meter.
Water meters are the fairest way to charge for water usage. On a meter, customers only pay for the water they use, rather than a guesstimated amount. Customers who are not on a water meter are billed using the Rateable Value (RV) of their property to calculate the cost for the year in advance. RV is a pretty old-fashioned way of working out the water bill. The last time the RV was updated was in 19902! That means any changes to the property since then will not be reflected in the RV.
So, if the house has undergone alterations or the number of occupants has grown or shrunk, the water usage will have changed, meaning the customer could be paying less or more than what they use.
Give unmetered water customers a more accurate bill
Thanks to a one minute home survey, Advizzo helps unmetered customers get a fairer bill (or assessed household charge). We also work with utility companies across the globe – to help engage customers – delivering messages, tips and advice to help inform decisions and encourage more sustainable behaviours. Read more about our flexible home audit solution in our blog Upping the ante on utility marketing.
Customers without meters use more water compared to customers who are able to track their consumption thanks to a meter. On average, customers with water meters use 126 liters per person per day. Those without water meters consume significantly more, using 177 liters per person per day (source: discoverwater).
Reasons Behind the Difference include Awareness and Behaviour: Customers on water meters tend to be more conscious of their water usage because they can directly see the impact on their bills. This awareness encourages water-saving behaviours. Metered customers can also save money by reducing their water consumption. This financial incentive motivates them to be more efficient.
It’s time for water suppliers to put our powers to good use to help gain a more detailed, recent and accurate understanding of each unmetered household and therefore more accurate calculation of their water usage. This also helps water suppliers forecast future water demand better.
By motivating customers to complete our short survey we obtain and process more detailed information relating to each property, including how many people live at the property; how many rooms there are, etc… which enriches the customer Experience automatically whilst enabling the water supplier to get additional and more precise data.
Thanks to a detailed understanding of individual unmetered addresses, suppliers can then provide more accurate water bills. We can also activate our behavioural science based engagement program to deliver personalised insights and tips to help individual households take steps from a personalised action plan to reduce their water consumption – something of a priority given the race to Net Zero and the impending water crisis!
Improving services
Potentially vulnerable customers can also get relevant financial support. You can read more about this in our providing proactive support for vulnerable customers blog.
Leverage data to assess which Unmetered properties could accommodate a (smart) meter and encourage the home-owner to adopt a smart meter with personalised educational messages, insights and advice. We’ve written a blog on that subject too. Why not discover how behavioural science can support smart meter deployment?
The good news is, research from our friends at Waterwise has found encouraging signs that the public is receptive to smart water metering. Nine in ten already have smart technology in their home and 87% would consider getting a smart water meter if it would lead to a reduction in bills and was fitted for free3.
Let us help you create meaningful next steps for unmetered customers, whether that’s delivering more accurate billing, encouraging smart meter adoption, offering support or providing tips to help them reduce water consumption. This can also help with decision making and planning for regulatory requirements to track progress to saving more water.
Energy suppliers can also use this solution to help customers drive more sustainable energy consumption. In 2022, one of our clients saw that almost 50% of online customers chose to complete a survey. With the additional data our client automatically enriched its insights portal with even more precise customer intelligence. Our audits are proven to be a very cost-effective way of assessing usage without having to bear the cost of installing or maintaining sub-meters.
Discover how our Home Audit service can help increase engagement with unmetered customers and deliver more accurate billing. Will you get in touch to discuss how easy this implementation can be for your organisation?
Source ref
1https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283045689_A_SHORT_HISTORY_OF_RESIDENTIAL_WATER_METERS_PART_I_MECHANICAL_WATER_METERS_WITH_MOVING_PARTS
2https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/your-water-bill/unmetered/#:~:text=Rateable%20values%20were%20last%20updated,reflected%20in%20your%20rateable%20value.
3https://www.arqiva.com/21586.002_ARQIVA%20WATERWISE%20GLOSSY%20LANDSCAPE%20V9.2.pdf