Mock bills show drop in water use
7 June 2018
Cambridge property owners will receive their second mock water bill within the next few weeks and many households will see a drop in potential cost.
Water saving measures mean that, based on the second mock bills, nearly 68% of Cambridge households now look likely to pay less with water meters than under the old, one-size-fits-all regime. Previously, all households in Waipā connected to the town supply paid $405.20 for the year, irrespective of how much water they used.
Most complex Cambridge properties which share a meter with their neighbours also continue to be financially better off with meters. Based on the second mock bill, 85% of complex properties in Cambridge will pay less with meters than what they were paying when the flat fee was in place. That figure is mirrored across the district.
Water services manager Tony Hale said Cambridge's figures were similar to the western side of the district where, based on mock bills, 65% of households will be financially better off with meters.
He said over past months people have fixed leaks in private pipes and put water-saving initiatives in place. Three months ago the first mock bill suggested only just over half of Cambridge property owners would pay less than the $101 for the quarter they had paid previously.
Mock bills for Cambridge will be posted today and will be the final one before real invoices are sent to Cambridge property owners in August. Other parts of the district will receive their first invoices in October with bills then sent every quarter. Water bills, just like rates bills, must be sent directly to property owners or property managers. By law they cannot be sent to tenants.
Council was still proactively contacting property owners whose water bills remained unusually high, Hale said. People concerned about high water use could also consider the Council's free water saving service which involved a household visit to check appliances and advise ways to save water. If possible, water saving devices like flow restrictors, tap aerators and toilet flush restrictors could be fitted.