Page 2722 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 1993
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MINISTER FOR URBAN SERVICES
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION
QUESTION NO 927
ACTEW - Separate Metering,
Mr Cornwell - asked the Minister for Urban Services:
(1) What arrangements are required to be made with ACTEW for separate metering of electricity and water when a house is converted into say, two flats.
(2) Is there any legislative requirement for separate metering under such circumstances and, if not, why not.
(3) If there is no separate metering, how are ACTEW costs accurately apportioned to each tenant.
Mr Connolly - the answer to the Members question is as follows:
(1) As for any new construction or extension to dwellings, application for supply of electricity and/or notification of works being ready for testing is made to ACTEW. This is a standard procedure well understood by electrical contractors within the ACT. For new buildings on previously undeveloped leases a similar process exists for . connection to sewerage and water services.
Where a house is converted into two flats or other forms of dual occupancy, under the current Electricity Act, meters are supplied for both dwellings. However, under the current Water Act, ACTEW meters each lease and not each dwelling. .
(2) There is scope under the current legislation for the provision of an electricity meter for each dwelling but only one water meter per lease. This recognises the user pays basis of electricity charging whereas, in most cases, multiple dwellings do not exceed the current allocation of 350 kilolitres of water per annum per dwelling. Therefore the actual quantity consumed becomes irrelevant and additional metering is redundant.
(3) As there are separate electricity meters- for each dwelling unit, costs are a direct measure of consumption and charged accordingly.
Water charges under current legislation are made to the lease holder. In multiple dwelling situations these charges are made to the Body Corporate. -The lease holder can then apportion these costs. In most cases, consumption is within the standard allowance of 350 kilolitres of water per annum per dwelling. In some commercial or light industrial situations, lease holders have installed additional downstream water meters at their own cost to measure water use of high water consumption tenants.
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