Isle of Man water metering could be introduced, report says

Manx Utilities said water consumption on the island was "considerably higher" than other jurisdictions

Water metering could form part of a plan to reduce water use on the Isle of Man, Manx Utilities (MU) has said.

The government-owned firm's water resources management plan also sets out how it aims to save water through reducing leaks and replacing mains.

The utilities firm said its focus would be to reduce use as it caused "the greatest stress on water resilience".

The island's demand for water was "considerably higher" than other jurisdictions, it added.

The report showed that MU's daily demand was 82 gallons (375 litres) per day, compared to 44 gallons (201 litres) in Guernsey and 41 gallons (186 litres) in Jersey.

The document also highlighted how it has had to introduce three hose pipe bans since 2018, the most recent in 2022, as warm weather created "exceptionally high demands".

People had continued to use more water since the coronavirus pandemic, it added.

Manx Utilities has had to introduce three hose pipe bans since 2018

To reduce demand, MU said it would consider options to introduce the compulsory fitting of water meters on all new properties, and develop a charging tariff for these properties.

It would also explore either making water meters optional on all existing properties, with a cost to the customer, or making meters compulsory on all homes, at a cost to the company, the firm said.

A study by the University of Southampton showed that overall consumption in properties with metres fell by 22% after two years, the company added.

MU said it would encourage developers to promote ways to conserve water in new homes, such as rain harvesting systems and promote the retrofitting of efficient appliances like dishwashers in existing buildings.

The provider has also committed to lowering the amount of water lost due to leaks, which is currently about 10% higher than the UK average when measuring leakage per property per day.

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