I can sympathise with the electricity and hot water situation. There is nothing good about an inequitable allocation of charges among unit owners that is other than user-pays. If this change has anything to do with introducing smart meters for electricity, my view is that those meters are designed to actually increase electricity charges . Unless people are going to live their waking lives in the 10pm to 7am timeslot, electricity consumers are going to be paying more with smart meters.
One thing that Flat Chat may wish to check-out, simply because it is not publicized, is whether there is a choice to maintain single tariff metering even though a smart meter is installed. A few years ago, an electricity supplier installed a smart meter in an elderly neighbour’s home. I contacted the electricity supplier and they agreed to allow the person to stay on single tariff billing. Maybe this option is available to all electricity consumers, however, none of the energy regulators seem to promote it. I wonder why!
A similar group billing situation is happening with Sydney Water, which is just as inequitable as the strata electricity and hot water situation. Let me know if you want details.