Utilities
How utility bills are calculated
How the site owner calculates your water, electricity and gas bills will depend on whether you have meters.
Metered pitches
Where the supply is individually metered, residents are only required to pay for the measured amount they have used plus a standing charge.
The standing charge will apply to the site and then be divided by the number of purchasers who are supplied.
Unmetered pitches
Where there are no meters on the site then all utility users will pay a share of the bill.
Water charges if you do not have a meter
There are different methods as to how the site owner can calculate or estimate water resale charges and they should make best efforts to use a fair method.
The different charging methods are set out in Ofwat’s guide to the resale of water.
As a reseller of water, a site owner cannot charge you more than what they paid the water or sewerage company.
You must also not be charged more than the average household bill for the region, unless the site owner can justify a higher charge using one or more of the charging methods. You can find this information on the Discover Water website or by contacting Ofwat.
Electricity charges if you do not have a meter
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) outlines the different methods for how the site owner can calculate or estimate electricity resale charges. The site owner should make best efforts to use a method that is fair.
OFGEM guidance states that if the purchaser does not have a meter, or the meter does not accurately record the number of units used within each price band, the reseller must use their reasonable endeavours to estimate what proportion of the total bill each tenant should pay.
- Last updated:
- 8 October 2024
- Next review:
- 15 December 2026
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