The £50 million scheme forms part of the company’s five-year investment programme from 2010-2015. The programme is due to start in Summer 2011 with the aim that by 2015, 70% of customers will be on a meter, with that number eventually rising to 90% by 2020. Customers won't be charged on a metered basis until 2012.
The South East region has been classed by the Environment Agency as an area of serious water stress. The metering programme is part of South East Water’s future plans to protect natural water supplies and make sure there is enough water for both existing and future customers.
Lee Dance, head of water resources and environmental, said: "Customers on a meter tend to use around 10% less water than those that are not and this reduction in demand helps to conserve valuable resources and reduces the amount of energy used to heat water in customers’ homes as well as along the whole process to abstract, treat and pump this water to customers’ homes."
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