Repsol YPF

The water bill

Possibly this summer, like many others, a plan to cope with the drought will be necessary in many Spanish towns. Should this be the case, the water shortage will force certain town councils to ban residents from using drinking water to water plants and fill swimming pools.

 
However, before this happens everyone will be able to review their consumption and look at their water bill. Water is the only domestic supply which is not governed by national regulations stipulating consumer rights. This falls to local councils, which award the service contracts to public sector or private companies or public-private partnerships.
 
Items
There is a standing charge or service charge, which must be paid even if you do not use it. Furthermore, there is a variable fee or consumption fee, which will vary depending on the volume of water consumed. However, this document which arrives punctually at every home every month, two months or three months also reflects ten other basic details:
 
- If a section mentions the abbreviation RSDA it is referring to the Reglamento de Suministro Domiciliario de Agua (Domestic Water Supply Regulations).
 
- It must always feature the details which identify the bill.
 
- It also displays the first name, surname and address of the person receiving the supply. This information may or may not be the same as the contract holder, depending, for example, on whether this person is living in their own property or is renting it.
 
- Consequently, the contract holder is specified in another place along with their address.
 
- The type of consumption (domestic, multiple, commercial/industrial, for an official body or others) and the meter installed make up another block. If the consumption type is multiple, in other words, if it includes several properties with premises, factories, etc, the number of domestic, commercial and industrial units will be stated.
 
- The service charge appears in the place allocated to the water service, this is the fixed amount that the consumer must pay simply to have access to the main water supply. The amount will vary depending on the calibre of the meter and the current tariffs will be applied.
 
- The amount owed will depend on the household consumption. Generally, domestic consumption is charged according to price bands. The prices must be set according to the applicable tariffs. If there is a tariff modification during the payment period which affects any of the bill items, the amounts must be specified. As such, if the tariffs change during the invoice period, the total amount will be calculated by prorating the consumption according to the days on which each tariff applied.
 
- If there is a percentage allocated to improving the supply, the cleaning and purification may appear under the name of  improvement fee. The fee will be applied to the overall consumption using a fixed price per cubic metre.
 
- There may be a section allocated to the amount which must be paid to cover residual water treatment and the maintenance and cleaning of the supply system.
 
- The section allocated to other items will include meter revision charges as well as late payment penalties if applicable, the contract fee, deposits, connection fees, additional charges, etc. The deposit may be requested to cover possible unpaid bills. The connection fee is financial compensation to cover the amount invested by the supplier.
 
Inconsistent rates
The Consumers in Action Federation (FACUA) has recently carried out a study in which it highlights differences of up to 761% in domestic water rates in 28 Spanish cities. According to this report, Alicante, Murcia and Córdoba have the most expensive rates among the cities polled, as compared with Valladolid, Logroño and Santander, where the cheapest rates are applied.
 
The study reveals that a family of four spends an average of around 8 euros plus VAT per month on water. However, the rates vary considerably in each city, from the 2.72 euros you would pay in Valladolid to the 23.43 euros of Alicante, where water costs 8.6 times more. The highest bills are found in cities on the east coast of Spain and on the islands.
 
This study claims that the consumption between the most expensive and cheapest cities differs by 248.52 euros per year. A meter rental charge is applied in some cities.