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Installing a water meter is an easy way to take control of your water use and bills. You'll only pay for the water you use. Many customers find it a fairer way to pay helping to lower bills and reduce environmental impact.

Our handy water meter calculator can help you estimate your water usage and work out whether switching to a water meter could save you money.

If you decide to have a meter installed, you'll be covered by our Lowest Bill Guarantee. We'll compare your metered and unmetered charges, and if your metered bill is higher, we'll refund the difference each year.

Yes, you can. We’d recommend telling your landlord that you're having a meter installed, as they'll need to know for future tenancies.

Get more information and apply for a water meter.

Applying for a water meter is quick and easy. Complete our online application form and a member of our Metering team will contact you within 10 working days.

We'll arrange a convenient appointment to assess your property and, where possible, install your meter.

If we can’t install a meter, we’ll offer you an assessed charge, which is an alternative way of billing for your water. It's based on the number of people living in the property. We’ve three charging categories: one person, two people or multi-occupancy.

You may benefit from having an external-use or sub-meter if you use a large amount of water externally, for example:

• A very large garden that you water by hosepipe or sprinkler for more than 15 minutes each day
• A garden pond larger than 1 cubic metre or 220 gallons in capacity that you regularly fill or top up
• A swimming pool that you regularly fill or top up, that doesn’t drain into the main sewers
• An automatic garden irrigation system which is used daily for more than 15 minutes

To get one fitted by South West Water, the cost is £154.00 plus VAT and any other plumber charges for adjustments to pipework, if required. 

Alternatively, following assessment for suitability, we can provide the meter manifold to be fitted by yourself or a private contractor. Once this is done, we would attend to install the meter into the manifold. We would not charge for this service.

Contact us today for more details.

We read your water meter twice a year, and your bills are based on the readings we collect.

If you’d like to submit additional meter readings between our scheduled meter readings, you can send us your own meter reading through your MyAccount app.

Meters are usually fitted outside of your home in the footpath or front garden. They’ll sit within a chamber under a small square or rectangular cover and will usually be labelled with ‘meter’ or ‘water’.

Your meter will have a unique serial number which is shown on your bill, so you need to check that it matches the number on the meter.

Sometimes your meter is located inside your property, usually under the kitchen sink or near the internal stop tap.

If you're still unable to find your meter, give us a call so we can advise how we can help.

To read your meter:

• Lift the meter cover if it's outside
• Read the numbers from left to right
• Record the black numbers (whole cubic metres), which are used for billing
• The red numbers or dials show smaller amounts of water and can help you identify leaks but aren't usually needed when submitting a reading.

Water meters remain the property of the water company and shouldn't be moved or removed without permission.

If you're planning home improvements or believe your meter needs relocating, please contact us first. We'll assess your request and let you know whether the meter can be moved.

There are lots of simple ways to reduce your water use and potentially lower your bill:

• Take shorter showers
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving
• Only use your washing machine and dishwasher with full loads
• Fix dripping taps and leaking toilets as soon as possible
• Use a watering can instead of a hose where practical
• Collect rainwater for watering your garden
• Check your water meter regularly to spot unusual water use that could indicate a leak.

Even small changes can make a noticeable difference over time, helping you save water, reduce your bills, and support the environment. For more information, visit out Save water page.