# The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, Regulation 17IB: Moving to measured charging for supply of water


(1) This regulation applies where a customer gives an English service provider a measured charges notice (an “MC notice”) on or after 1st October 2025.
(2) The English service provider must give the customer a voluntary measured charging notice if the English service provider—
(a) is not obliged to give effect to the MC notice (see section 144A(3) of the WIA), but
(b) agrees to fix charges in respect of the supply of water to the MC premises by reference to the volume of water supplied.
(3) A “voluntary measured charging notice” is a notice which—
(a) sets out any actions which the customer and the English service provider agree must be taken by or on behalf of the customer to enable charges for the supply of water in respect of the MC premises to be fixed by reference to the volume of water supplied (each an “agreed action”),
(b) sets out any payments which the customer is required to make towards the cost of installing a meter in respect of the MC premises,
(c) if the customer is required to make any such payments, sets out whether any of those payments must be made before any work to the install the meter, or in connection with such installation, begins (each an “advance payment”), and
(d) specifies the period before the end of which the supply of water to the MC premises will begin to be measured by volume of water supplied.
(4) The period specified for the purposes of paragraph (3)(d) must begin with—
(a) if there are any agreed actions or advance payments, the date on which the last of those actions is taken or payments made (as the case may be), or
(b) if there are no such actions or payments, the day after the day on which the voluntary measured charging notice is given to the customer.
(5) The English service provider must pay the relevant amount to the customer if the English service provider does not begin to measure the supply of water in respect of the MC premises by volume for charging purposes on or before the anticipated measured charging date.
(6) But the English service provider need not pay the relevant amount to the customer if—
(a) where the English service provider is not obliged to give effect to the MC notice (see section 144A(3) of the WIA), the customer notifies the English service provider, before the anticipated measured charging date, that they no longer want charges in respect of the supply to be fixed by reference to the volume of water supplied;
(b) the English service provider was prevented from beginning to measure the supply by volume for charging purposes before the anticipated measured charging date by—
(i) industrial action by any of its employees, or
(ii) the act or default of a person other than—
(aa) the customer;
(bb) an officer of the English service provider;
(cc) an employee of the English service provider;
(dd) an agent of the English service provider;
(ee) a person acting on behalf of the customer;
(ff) a person acting on behalf of the English service provider;
(gg) a person acting on behalf of an agent of the English service provider.
(7) The “relevant amount” is a sum equal to the charges payable by the customer for the supply of water in respect of the MC premises for the period—
(a) beginning with the day after the anticipated measured charging date, and
(b) ending when the English service provider begins to measure the supply by volume for charging purposes.
(8) The “anticipated measured charging date” is—
(a) where the English service provider is obliged to give effect to the MC notice under section 144A(2) of the WIA—
(i) the last day of the section 144A(2) period, or
(ii) if earlier, the last day of the period of eight weeks beginning with the relevant date;
(b) where the English service provider is not obliged to give effect to the MC notice under section 144A(2) of the WIA, the last day of the period specified for the purposes of paragraph (3)(d).
(9) For the purposes of paragraph (8)(a)(ii), the relevant date is—
(a) the day on which the customer gives the MC notice to the English service provider, or
(b) if a dispute between the customer and the English service provider about the application of section 144A(3)(a) or (b) of the WIA is referred to the Authority for determination under section 30A of that Act, the day on which—
(i) the Authority makes its determination, or
(ii) if the party referring the dispute to the Authority withdraws their referral, the referral is withdrawn.
(10) In this regulation—
“MC premises” means the premises in relation to which a customer gives an MC notice;
“measured charges notice” has the meaning given for the purposes of section 144A of the WIA (see subsection (1) of that section);
the “section 144A(2) period” means the period determined in accordance with the English undertaker’s charges scheme for the purposes of section 144A(2) of the WIA.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/594/regulation/17IB (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/water-supply-and-sewerage-services-customer-service-standards-regulations-2008/regulation-17IB
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.