Water meter: free to fit, three months to install — and you can change your mind

A water meter in England and Wales is fitted free of charge, the company has three months to do it, and if metered bills turn out to cost you more, the decision can be reversed. Those three points decide whether applying is worth it at all.

How much does a water meter cost to install?

Nothing. Ofwat puts it plainly: household customers in England and Wales can choose to have a meter fitted in their homes free of charge. Citizens Advice adds the single caveat — the right to a free meter holds unless fitting one is not practical or would be unreasonably expensive. You are not charged for the device itself; a charge only arises in the rare cases where the work goes beyond the ordinary.

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How long does the company have to fit it?

Three months from receiving your application, subject to a survey. That is Ofwat's wording. If the company misses that deadline, it should offer to adjust your bill to the charges you would have paid on a meter. Your first metered bill should arrive within six months of installation.

Citizens Advice notes one exception: where free meters are being offered for the first time, the period may be six months.

Can you switch back to unmetered bills?

Yes, but the window depends on whose rule you read and on your supplier. Citizens Advice, for England, gives twelve months: if you are not better off on a meter, you can usually return to your previous billing method. CCW, on its calculator page, gives twenty-four months — you can switch back to the unmetered charge if you are unhappy. Check with your own company before you apply: suppliers differ, and this is the one deadline that cannot be extended afterwards.

Two situations rule out switching back. First, you moved into a property that already had a meter, so the choice was never yours. Second, universal metering has been introduced in your area. CCW notes the exception applies in compulsory metering areas — the water-stressed parts of England.

What if a meter cannot be fitted?

Then the company should offer you an assessed charge. Ofwat describes it as an estimate of what your metered bill might have been had a meter been installed. Compare that figure with your current bill: that comparison is the answer to whether a meter would save you money.

Ofwat lists the reasons a meter may not go in: multiple supplies to the property, a supply shared with neighbours, or pipework that is inaccessible or in poor condition.

Would a meter actually save you money?

The general rule is simple: a meter tends to pay off for households that use less water than the fixed charge for their property assumes. CCW runs a calculator based on the number of people in the home and how often you bathe, shower, flush, and run the washing machine and dishwasher; it works from a figure of 11,000 litres per person per year. CCW warns the result is a rough estimate and advises against using it to challenge your water company's charges. Many suppliers publish their own calculators, which are worth opening too.

What if you rent?

You can apply, and you do not need your landlord's permission to have a meter. But your tenancy agreement may separately require consent for alterations, and a meter can fall under that clause. Citizens Advice advises getting advice first in that situation rather than going ahead regardless.

You cannot be evicted simply for asking for a meter. Eviction requires specific grounds — rent arrears, the landlord selling the property, or a breach of the tenancy contract, which includes installing a meter the landlord had not agreed to. Citizens Advice says such an eviction runs through a section 8 notice, and adds that a section 21 notice received on or after 1 May 2026 is not valid.

Who qualifies for the WaterSure cap?

WaterSure is a government scheme that caps water bills for households that unavoidably use a lot. There are three conditions and all must be met: your home is on a meter; you or someone in your household receives Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit; and either you get Child Benefit for three or more children under 19 living with you, or someone in the household uses extra water because of a listed medical condition.

CCW publishes the list in full: abdominal stoma, Crohn's disease, desquamation (flaky skin loss), incontinence, home dialysis for renal failure where the local health authority does not contribute to water costs, ulcerative colitis, and weeping skin disease — eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration.

High use from garden sprinklers or a swimming pool does not qualify. You apply through your own water company. In Wales, both companies run similar schemes on a voluntary basis. CCW also notes that in February 2026 the government announced it would widen eligibility and increase support, with the changes expected in 2027.

Who pays for a leak?

As a rule, on a meter you pay for water that leaks away. But Citizens Advice points to an important softener: a company will not normally charge for the first leak in an underground supply pipe. If your bill suddenly multiplies, the first thing to check is the pipe, not the tariff.