You can either pay a fixed water bill based on the Rateable Value (RV) of your property or on the actual amount of water with a water meter, calculated on the basis of units you’ve consumed.

You have a right to get a water meter installed in your area, so you only pay for the water you’ve used on your property. Even if you are a tenant, you have a right to get a meter installed if your tenancy agreement is for a time period of six months or more than that.

So, if you are considering changing to a water meter and pay only for your usage, you shouldn’t delay it anymore and should contact your water supplier to get the request processed by them. You can directly call them at Northumbrian Water Contact Number or can also go ahead to apply on their website.

In case, your water supplier is unable to install a water meter at your property they might still put you on an alternate cheaper tariff which will eventually help you to save money.

The good thing is, in some of the areas in the UK, the water companies are introducing universal water metering, so your property will automatically be given a meter.

If you are living in an area where your water supplier is already providing water meter service, you are supposed to get this installed within three months. However, in areas where free water meters are a first time service, it can take up to 6 months to get the meter installed.

Reasons to switch to water meter

If you don’t use much water

If your property has a high Rateable Value (RV)

What to expect once you’ve changed to water meter?

Once you’ve changed to a water meter, you can’t be sure about how much you would be charged by your water supplier as the bill will be calculated on the basis of the number of units you have consumed; which will apparently keep on increasing and decreasing with the number of people coming-in to and going-out from your property.

You will also be responsible for a water leak in your property. However, the company won’t charge you anything for the first leak in your underground water supply pipe.

You can get a fair idea of your water usage by using Water meter calculator service available on different water suppliers’ websites.

What to do if you find that you were better off without meter?

If you feel that your water bill charges were better while you were paying unmetered charges, you can get back to the same process within 12 months period of a water meter installed in your property.

However, you can’t do this if your property has a pre-installed meter or your water supplier provides a universal metering service in your area.

What to do if you’re a tenant and want a water meter installed in your area?

If you have a tenancy agreement of less than six months, you would have to take permission from your landlord to get a water meter installed. But, if your tenancy agreement is of more than six months, you wouldn’t need your landlord permission to go ahead.