Would a water meter save me money?
Estimate what you'd pay on a meter from the number of people in your home, and compare it with your current unmetered bill. The rule of thumb: if there are more bedrooms than people, a meter usually wins. You can ask for a meter free, and switch back within two years if it costs more. Free, no sign-up.
A guide, not a guarantee. Water and sewerage rates, standing charges and the way unmetered bills are set all vary by company and area, so use your own figures where you can. In England and Wales you can ask your water company for a meter free of charge, and if a meter ends up costing more you can usually switch back to unmetered within the first two years. If a meter can't be fitted, ask about an assessed (fixed) charge instead. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Use times rate, plus the standing charge.
Work out how much you use. Water use tracks people, not the size of the house. The UK average is around 142 litres per person per day; careful households use less, and power showers, baths, dishwashers running half-full and a thirsty garden push it up. People times litres times 365 gives your yearly use in cubic metres (1,000 litres each).
Turn it into a bill. A metered bill is your usage times the combined water-and-sewerage rate per cubic metre, plus fixed standing charges. The rate is typically £2–£3 per cubic metre, but it varies a lot by region — your water company's tariff is the real figure, so put yours in if you have it.
Compare with what you pay now. An unmetered bill is based on your property's old rateable value, not on what you actually use — so a small household in a higher-rated home often overpays. We show the difference so you can see whether asking for a meter is worth it.
The rule of thumb. If your home has more bedrooms than people, a meter usually saves money. A single person or a couple in a three-bed often gains; a big family in a low-rated home may not.
It's a low-risk switch. In England and Wales you can request a meter free of charge. If it turns out to cost more, you can normally revert to unmetered within two years of it being fitted. Where a meter can't physically be installed, you can ask for an assessed charge based on your home and occupancy instead.
Keep your bills and meter readings in one place.
Stead tracks your utilities, suppliers and readings, and flags the cheap wins — so you spot an overpriced bill before it runs for another year.