What to expect during your smart meter fitting

We'll get in touch with you by letter at least three weeks before we’re in your area surveying and fitting Smart meters. If we have your details, we’ll also send you a reminder seven days before we come.

If this is your first meter, we’ll come over to your property to see if we can fit a Smart meter and where it should be fitted. We’ll keep in touch with you to let you know when we’re coming.

We’ll normally be working outside your home, so you don’t need to be in, however if you’re in it’s a great chance to ask our team any queries you may have. If we do need to work inside your home, we’ll let you know and you’ll need to call us to book an appointment at a date and time that suits you.

If we have your contact details, we’ll email you a week before we come. During the fitting of your Smart meter, we’ll need to turn your water off for a short time. We’ll knock on your door to let you know when the water is off and back on again. During this time, it’s best not to use any water appliances, like the washing machine or dishwasher, until the water is back on. If you aren’t going to be in, it’s best to turn any water appliances off before you leave.

When we're looking at where we can place your meter, there’s a chance we may have to dig a small hole to complete the fitting.

Fitting without a dig

• This type of meter fitting is possible when we can easily access the stop tap and replace or fit the meter right away.
• We’ll fit your meter either inside your property boundary (usually on the driveway or front garden) or on the public pavement. This process should only take about 30 minutes. We’ll set up barriers and equipment to ensure the area is safe and will do our best to minimise noise and disruption.

Fitting with a dig

• If we need to dig to fit your Smart meter, this should take about two hours. We’ll dig a small hole and set up barriers and equipment to keep the area safe. We'll fill the hole using material as close to the original as possible within three working days. Sometimes the new material doesn’t quite look the same as the old material initially, but over time, the new material will weather similarly.

If you’ve had a water meter fitted inside before, or we can’t fit the meter outside, we’ll need to fit the meter inside. We always try to install meters externally and only fit an internal meter when this isn't possible, for example, homes on a shared pipe. To book in the appointment, we’ll send you a letter asking you to call us to book a time that suits you.

The meter is usually fitted on the internal stop tap. Typically, this will be under the kitchen sink but could be in a bathroom.

If this isn’t your first meter, you’ll already be on metered charges. To check, visit your My Account or look at your most recent bill and look for ‘Your meter readings’.

If you aren’t already on metered charges, you have up to one year from the date it was fitted to move to metered charges. This may happen sooner if:

• you request to move to metered charges
• you'd have paid less on metered charges over the last six months, based on meter readings
• you move home.

We’ll send you cost comparison letters during the first year to show you the difference between metered and unmetered charges. These letters will show what you could have paid.

When you first switch to metered charges, your first bill will show fixed charges. This is a fixed charge payable in advance by all customers on a water meter as a contribution towards the maintenance of the supply and other costs like customer services.

If you’re on our Low Income Fixed Tariff (LIFT), you won’t be moved to metered charges and won’t receive cost comparison letters.