How to read your water meter

We recommend reading your water meter regularly, as you’ll be able to get more accurate bills and identify increases in your water use that could be an issue like a leak. If you're already taking monthly readings for your other utilities like gas and electricity, you could look at your water at the same time. It should be quick and easy, and to help you, we’ve created this simple guide.

Finding your meter

If you aren’t sure where your water meter is, the first place you can check is My Account

  1. Find the relevant account and click on Manage Account.
  2. Scroll down to the submit meter readings section.
  3. You'll see your Meter Serial Number (MSN), so you know you're looking for the correct meter that matches your bill.
  4. You'll also see a location description which describes where your meter is. The system we use to get this information can sometimes use abbreviations like the example below, so we've pulled together a glossary to help make it clear for you.

Here's an example of what it might look like. 

Most water meters can be found in an underground chamber in or around your property. Meter chambers are often located close to the property boundary, in a nearby footpath or verge, or in chambers within property boundaries or neighbouring sites. Chamber covers range from a small circular plastic cover to large, heavy, rectangular covers made of metal. They’ll typically show the word “water”, “meter” or the letter “W”. If your meter is inside your property, it’s likely to be on the water pipe as it enters the property - often near the stop tap. 

If you can't find your water meter, or it’s difficult to access, get in touch and we can help you.

Accessing your meter

Once you’ve found your meter, you’ll need to lift the chamber cover. Large covers may need two people to lift and a manhole key. Please take appropriate health and safety precautions. 

When you’ve removed the cover, there may be a polystyrene frost cover on top of the meter - this is the case for most small meters and needs to be removed to take a reading (remember to put this back when finished). Occasionally, water can collect in the meter chamber which will need to be removed to get a reading. This can sometimes indicate a leak. 

If you think there may be a leak on your supply, then please call us for advice. We can also offer a Leakage Find and Fix service for an additional charge. If you’d like more information about this service, then please email us.

Reading your meter

Your water meter has its own unique serial number, which is also shown on your water bill. Check this number against your bill to make sure you’ve got the right meter. For more information on how to read your business’ water meter, take a look at our short video or follow the instructions below:

You’re charged per cubic metre of water used (one cubic metre is 1,000 litres), so when taking a meter read we’ll only need to record the black digits, including any zeros at the beginning. You can ignore any digits in red. The numbers we need are highlighted in the yellow boxes on the examples below.

Submit your meter read

You can easily submit your reading online via My Account. If you haven’t yet registered for an online account, you can give us your reads here.

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