Water meter exchange: Brandenburg's garden owners demand reform!

Water meter exchange: Brandenburg's garden owners demand reform!

In Brandenburg, there is resistance among garden owners against the high costs for the exchange of water meters. The Water Association Strausberg-Kner (WSE) has asked all households to exchange its old meters for new models. However, these costs are no longer covered by the WSE, which forces many households to commission expensive craftsmen. Households with low water consumption are particularly affected, which can be found in financial difficulties due to the exchange. Katrin Eisner, a affected citizen from Woltersdorf, reports four times the cost of the previous year of costs of 360 euros for the new counter. For the exchange of water meters in Germany, they have to be re -calibrated or replaced every six years.

A look at the numerical loads shows: The exchange of a water meter can cost up to 500 euros without additional work on the pipe system. This leads to long waiting times, since private companies have taken over the meter change since the beginning of the year. The WSE has presented calculations that are a saving for some households by installing an additional water meter, but the financial pressure remains. Katrin Eisner therefore demands a flat rate for garden water to avoid meter installation, a proposal that has already been successfully implemented in the municipality of Panketal.

criticism of new regulations

The recently newly introduced regulations of the WSE encounter further criticism among the regional population. Citizens perceive the organizational and financial effort for the installation or exchange of a garden water meter. Tobias Rohrberg, the group leader of the Greens in Petershagen/Eggersdorf, sees no sensible relationship between effort and benefits and demands the abolition of garden water meters in favor of a flat regulation. An example shows how it could work: In the municipality of Panketal, the average annual consumption is scheduled, which leads to the liberation of wastewater fees.

In addition to the financial burden, the municipalities are also facing ecological challenges. In view of the continuing drought and falling groundwater level, it is particularly important to promote economical use of water. Rohrberg argues that a flat -rate regulation could create incentives for economical water consumption. However, an application from Bündnis 90/The Greens to examine this proposal did not find a majority in the municipal council, while a large number of political versions from other parties seem to be uninterested by a civil -friendly solution.

The costs of water meter measurement

The trap of constant meter measurements not only meet garden owners. Tenants often experience surprises when looking at the additional cost statement, where the costs for the water meter exchange suddenly appear. These change depending on the individual situation, with simple points cost an average of 20 euros. For the exchange, the total costs amount to around 80 to 160 euros, depending on the executing company and the effort for the exchange. The fact is that the mandatory mandatory in Germany can cause enormously high costs. A study shows that German households could cause unnecessary additional costs of over 500 million euros through frequent exchange. In comparison, there are regulations in countries such as France that only provide a change of water meter every 18 years.