Unitywater is encouraging customers to check the location of their water meter and that gardens or dirt are not obstructing it, to ensure they’re only billed for the water they use.
The utility has released figures that show about 30 properties each day cannot have their water meter read due to inaccessibility by meter readers.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Experience, Katherine Gee, said each of the 320,665 meters are read quarterly, with meter readers performing about 6400 reads each day.
“There are a number of reasons meters can’t be read, known as ‘skip reads’,” Ms Gee said.
“Our meter readers can be faced with unrestrained dogs, locked premises, or instances where gardens or dirt obstruct the water meter,” she said.
Ms Gee said Maroochydore had the highest rate of skips across Moreton Bay, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, followed by Caboolture, Morayfield, Coolum Beach and Buderim.
“Where meters can’t be read, we bill based on an estimated reading,” she said.
“We always aim to get a correct reading so we can bill our customers accurately and on time, but this is not always possible. The estimate is based on the property’s previous water usage pattern and when we can get an actual reading in the next billing period, we’ll adjust the account so the customer is only charged for the water they’ve used.”
Ms Gee said the utility also recommended customers check for leaks every two weeks.
“Identifying hidden leaks early helps to avoid bill shock and the expense that comes with them,” she said.
“Unusually spinning numbers on your water meter when you aren’t using any water inside your property could indicate a potential hidden leak.
“A unit owner had a concealed leak underneath a concrete driveway which was not visible above ground. Plumbing repairs cost them $1300 and their Unitywater bill increased from about $250 to $8800. The sooner a customer can identify a leak, the less the bill increase will be.
“It’s a cost to our customers and it’s also about sustainability and valuing every drop. With our changing climate we can all do simple checks to save water.”
For four easy steps on how to check for leaks, visit www.unitywater.com/leaks
