Please be advised that if you are billed monthly, any reads received before 22nd of each month will be entered to bill that month.  Any reads received after the 22nd and before the 1st of the month will be added to your account as the 1st to bill for the next month. Any reads provided from earlier months will be used to calculate an estimated read for the next bill run.

1. Find your water meter

Outside: Most water meters are in a small chamber in the pavement outside your house, usually near the boundary where your property meets the road. You’ll often see a metal or plastic cover marked “Water”.

Inside: In some premises (especially flats), the meter might be under the sink, in a cupboard, or in a communal area.

2. Open the meter cover

For outdoor meters, lift the cover using a screwdriver or a coin.

Sometimes there’s a foam or polystyrene disc inside to protect it from frost—just lift this out.

3. Read the numbers

You’ll see a row of numbers, a bit like an odometer in a car.

Black or white numbers (on the left of the decimal point) = cubic metres of water used. This is the part you report.

Red numbers or dials (on the right of the decimal point) = fractions of a cubic metre. You can ignore these for your reading (though they’re handy for spotting leaks or small usage).

Example:
If your meter shows 01234.567, you’d report 01234.

4. Submit your reading

You can usually give it to your water company online, by app, by phone, or sometimes by text.

Many companies now let you take a photo and upload it, which avoids mistakes.