What to expect when you’ve asked for a Smart meter

After your appointment is confirmed, we’ll send you a text and email to confirm. If we have your details, we’ll also send you a reminder seven days, and 24 hours, before we come.

One of our team will come over to your property to see if we can fit a Smart meter and where it should be fitted. We’ll be working in and outside your home, so you need to be in. If we can’t fit the meter at the appointment, we’ll need to come back (we’ll let you know when to expect us).

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. If you aren’t going to be in, it’s best to turn any water appliances off before you leave. There's a chance we'll need access to your driveway or parking space for a short time if it's near where we're fitting the meter.

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 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.

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 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.

When we’ve fitted the Smart meter, we’ll move your account from unmetered to metered charges in five working days. You’ll receive your first metered bill within 20 working days of the move. After that, you’ll receive your bill twice a year.

When you first swap, your 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. To find out more about LIFT, visit Low Income Fixed Tariff (LIFT)