Davey wrote:
I read here some weeks ago that the installation of a Smart Meter was
not mandatory, but I have just received a notice about the impending
installation of a water meter in Essex.

It includes this note:

"Do I have to have a meter?

Yes, where technically possible. The Secretary of State for the
Environment has approved our plan to meter customers' properties
because we are operating in an area designated as being under severe
water stress."

In this case, as the place is subject to limited occupation, say
about one week per month on average, having metering may well be
advantageous, and I have the option of remaining on the old payment
system for up to two years.



I've had a meter inside the house for 30 plus years voluntarily due to a
relatively large house with low occupancy.

A couple of years back we all got letter saying they were converting the
whole road to meters and I expected us to get a new one in the street so
they could be all remotely read.

However we were "passed over" for the compulsory meters as we already
had one. Trouble is that the meter reader has to call every 6 months to
read ours manually. Were is the logic in that? Minimal saving on not
giving us a new street mounted meter - given that the contractors were
in the road anyway and still having to pay Siemens for their meter
reading service.
Ironically I am a Siemens pensioner (I worked for a completely different
part of Siemens) so indirectly Southern Water are helping to contribute
to my pension.

What we could do with is a smart water board!