Higher than expected consumption?

It is very unusual for a water meter to over record the amount of water used. Water meters are tested before leaving the factory and are precision instruments approved by Trading Standards and meet strict performance criteria.

If you feel that your water bill is higher than normal this will usually be due to a change in consumption rather than due to a fault on the meter. For example:

• Extra use of a hosepipe - using a hosepipe for an hour is the equivalent to 3 days consumption for the average person.   
• Overflow pipes can waste a lot of water and it may not always be obvious
• A single dripping tap can waste at least 1500 litres of water a year (one drip per second). Check your taps and make sure they are shut off securely, and change washers if necessary.
• Autoflush sanitory devices can use a high volume of water if set at a high frequency of flushes per hour.

We would recommend you check at least two years consumption to avoid any changes of use that are not related to a meter problem, such as seasonal use.

If you feel your consumption pattern has not changed and your bill is still high it could be for one of the following reasons:

• If your last bill was based on an estimated reading, the estimate may have been lower than your actual consumption. This would mean that your current bill includes some consumption from your previous bill period.
• You may have a leak - find out how to check for leaks?

If after you have checked the information above you still believe your meter is faulty, we can arrange for the meter to be tested and the results sent to you. If the meter is faulty it will be replaced and there will be no charge for the test. If the meter is not faulty we will charge you for the test. The charge will be £70.00 for meters up to 40mm and at cost for all other.