Metering terms and conditions

We will fit your meter for free, provided it is practical to fit one and the cost of fitting will not be unreasonable. When we fit your meter, your water supply may be turned off for a short time.  We may install a smart meter if there is good connectivity.

We aim to fit your meter within 30 working days of receiving your application. If we don’t manage this, and it is our fault, you'll receive free services from day 30 until the new meter is fitted. We’ll amend the charges when we set up your new metered bill.

If your meter can only be fitted inside your property, any work to make the internal stop tap or pipework accessible will be the responsibility of the occupier or landlord to carry out. Our surveyor will advise what needs to be done.

Occasionally, it's not possible to install a water meter at all, and if that happens, we'll make sure to inform you and let you know what your options are.

We understand that some customers are unsure whether a meter will save them money, so we offer a Money Back Guarantee. This is our promise that if you don't save money after two years with a meter, you can switch back to an unmetered bill, and we will credit your account with any overpayments.

You can switch back at any time during the first two years, with the cut-off date being 30 days following the bill at the end of your second year. However, to qualify for the Money Back Guarantee, you must keep your meter for the full two years and then ask to revert. This option won't be available after you've been billed for two years on metered charges.

If you choose to switch back within two years, you will not qualify, and you will have to pay for our services based on our metered charges up to the date you switch back. We won't normally remove the meter.

If you choose to go back on a meter for a second time at the same address, you will not be covered by our Money Back Guarantee, and you will not be able to switch back to unmetered charges.

When we fit your meter, we’ll check for leaks. If we find one on your service pipe, we will repair it free of charge as stated in our leakage policy.

It's a good idea to check your meter readings regularly for unusually high water use. Water in the meter chamber doesn't necessarily mean there is a leak – rainwater and water from soil can get into the chamber.

If your property shares pipework with others, we may need to do some work to ensure we fit the meter where it will measure your water use only and where we can read it. We may need to install a device that allows us to read the meter remotely.

When it's impossible to put the meter outside, we may have to fit it inside your property. If so, we will normally need access to read the meter twice a year unless we can fit a remote reading device. Where we can't gain access to read a meter, we may have to charge you on an unmetered basis.

In some cases, it may be too expensive or physically impossible to fit a meter. If so, we may offer you another way of charging. We will contact you and let you know what your options are.

If you're a tenant and want a water meter, we suggest you contact your landlord before applying. If you have a fixed-term tenancy of less than six months, you can't request a meter without your landlord's approval.

You will need to send us copies of your landlord's written permission and tenancy agreement. If you have a tenancy agreement that is over six months, you don't need permission to apply, but you may need your landlord’s approval/consent for any alterations needed to fit the meter.

If your property is supplied via communal or shared services, we may be unable to provide a water meter.

In the case of multi-occupancy premises, such as a block of flats where separate meters cannot be installed sensibly, we will install a single meter producing a single bill if an individual or company accepts responsibility for payment.

If your property was built before 1966, incoming metal water pipes may be used as an earth for electrical systems. Fitting a water meter to your supply may mean that this system will no longer work.

If you are in doubt about how your property is earthed, contact a qualified electrician for advice. If work needs to be done, you will have to pay for it, and you may wish to consider this before applying.

Your property will need to have a meter if you:

• use a hands-free watering device (such as a sprinkler or automatic irrigation system) in your garden 
• automatically replenish a pond
• have a swimming pool with a capacity greater than 10,000 litres.

If any of the above apply to your property, please apply for a water meter.

It is our responsibility to upgrade and replace our water meters as needed, and we can choose the type of meters we install. From 2025, we will be installing smart water meters.

In most cases, just like traditional meters, smart water meters will be located on our pipework underneath public land in the pavement or highway outside customer homes.

Occasionally, we may want to install one on the pipework underneath private land, but we will ask for your consent to do this.

Smart meters provide daily water use information, which helps us spot leaks on our pipework and for customers.

If you already have a water meter, we will aim to upgrade it to a smart meter at no extra cost. You’ll also be able to view your water usage data. Your smart meter readings will be used to generate your bill every six months.

If you don’t currently have a meter, we can install a smart meter for you. This won’t affect your current unmetered charges. However, if you prefer, you can choose to switch to metered billing.

If you have had a smart meter fitted, you can switch to metered charges online or by calling us on 0345 600 3 600.

With our Money Back Guarantee if you don't save money after two years with a meter, you can switch back to unmetered charges, and we will credit your account with any overpayments.

Your metered bill will be made up of a standing charge and a volumetric charge for your water and wastewater services. The standing charge is a fixed annual fee for our services, and the volumetric charge is based on how much water you use. To work out what this would mean for your bill, see our charges.

Please note that standing charges for metered and unmetered customers are different. This is because water and sewerage service charges are included in the standing charges for metered customers, whereas they are included in the rateable value unit rate paid for unmetered customers.

We will automatically stop charging you on an unmetered basis (rateable value) once we have fitted the meter at your property. At this stage, we will review your account and let you know if there are any outstanding unmetered charges or if you have overpaid and are due a refund.

Your existing payment arrangement, such as your direct debit, will be transferred to your new metered account. The payments will be adjusted to reflect your estimated bill. You cannot claim back previously billed unmetered charges from before the meter was fitted.

If you are a household customer who has requested to have a meter fitted, you may want to go back to paying unmetered charges if you haven’t saved money.

You can go back to unmetered charges at any time during the first two years of having a meter, with the cut-off date being 30 days following the bill at the end of your second year.

To qualify for our Money Back Guarantee, you must keep your meter for the full two years and then ask to switch back. We will then credit your account with any overpayments.

If you choose to return to unmetered charging before that point, we will not credit your account with any overpayments, and you’ll pay for our services based on our metered charges up to the date you switch back.

You will not be able to switch back to unmetered charges if you have:

• had a meter for more than two years
• opted for a meter twice at the same address
• moved into a property that already has a meter fitted or 
• had a meter fitted through our change of occupier initiative.  

Your metered sewerage bill is based on 95% of the water you use returning to the sewer. The 5% allowance covers all household use, eg, drinking, cooking, watering the garden and washing the car, as well as taking into account wet and dry years.

If you think that considerably less than 95% of the water you use returns to the sewer, you can apply to have your charges reduced. Apply by emailing customer.services@wessexwater.co.uk with a completed non-return to sewer claim form.

You may be on the border of our area and receive your water supply from us, and sewerage services from another provider.

If so, we'll forward details of your water use to the other company so that your sewerage charges can be billed in relation to the volume of water on the meter.

The meter is manufactured and tested to European and International Standard EN ISO 4064 (2014). If you think the meter isn't recording accurately, you can ask us to test it.

If the meter is recording accurately, you'll be liable for the cost of the test which will be no more than £70 plus VAT. That's a total of £84. If we find a fault and this has affected your readings, we'll revise your bills based on your normal usage level.

The meter remains our property and we are responsible for its maintenance, repair and eventual replacement.

If you damage the meter or any device connected to it, such as remote reading equipment, you will have to pay the repair or replacement costs. Tampering with a meter is a criminal offence.

Traditional meters

We will read your meter every six months if you are a household customer, as long as we can gain access to it.

If we send you an estimated bill, you can submit a meter reading online. We recommend reading your meter regularly.

Smart meters

Smart meters will automatically send water use readings to our systems daily through a secure network.