Metering Matters

We have created this guide to provide support and guidance to our customers who believe they have an issue with their meter.

Some, although not all, meter issues may cause higher usage than expected. This guide sets out what issues could cause higher usage and how to get in touch so we can investigate this for you.

There are several reasons why you could have received a higher-than-usual bill:

A higher bill than usual can be surprising, but it may be because you have used more water than usual over the last six months.

For example, if you have used a garden sprinkler during the billing period, your bill will be higher.

However, if you are confident that you have not used extra water, further investigation may be required to establish what has caused the increase.

It is possible that you may have a leak either in your water pipes or the meter. We recommend that you carry out a flow test.

A flow test is used to check if your property has a leak. You can carry one out yourself by following these steps:

If you are unable to complete a flow test yourself at home, please contact us, and we’ll arrange for one of our engineers to visit your property at a suitable time for you to investigate.

There are other signs that could indicate you have a leak. Things to look out for are:

If you think the leak is in your supply pipes or internal pipework, please read our advice for finding and fixing leaks on private pipes.

The first time most people become aware of an incorrect meter read is when they receive an unusually high or low bill from us.

These issues can be a result of human error or “crossed meters”. Many meters are read by radio scanners, but other meters rely on someone physically reading the meter.

If you notice a mistake has been made when providing a meter read, which has created an inaccurate bill, please contact us.

Depending on the exact circumstances, the meter type and the size of the error, you can either take a photo or we will send out a meter reader for independent verification.

If the meter read has been confirmed to be inaccurate, we will correct it in our systems and then confirm the correction with you by letter.

If you think your bill is wrong, please contact us to provide information about why you believe your bill is wrong, and we’ll investigate this for you as quickly as we can.

If we investigate and find out that your bill is wrong, this will be amended and rebilled, and any overpayments you’ve made will either go towards your next 6-monthly bill or we will send a refund to you.

Water meters are approved for accuracy by the Office for Product Safety & Standards as well as the manufacturer before leaving the factory.

Our metering contractors will show you how to read the meter after it has been installed.

You can request that your meter be tested if you think it might be inaccurate.

The meter will be replaced and sent back to the manufacturer for testing on specially calibrated equipment by an independent measuring company to confirm the meter’s accuracy.

An organisation called Juniper carry out independent water meter tests.

If the meter is confirmed to be inaccurate, you will not be charged for the test.

Test records in recent years show that no meters have failed due to being inaccurate by over-recording. They have been within accuracy limits or have failed due to under-recording.

We sometimes decide to test meters if we believe it is necessary, for example, if we believe that the consumption is lower than expected.

We will pay for these tests and will inform you of any outcome if it is not accurate.

Most meters work fine for their entire lifetime, and they very rarely break unless they are accidentally disturbed or damaged.

Sometimes mechanical faults do happen, though, and this is where there are physical faults with the meter. These issues include:

You should contact us if you have a leak or another mechanical issue with your meter.

When a problem with a meter is reported to us, we will take you through some checks to determine the issue.

This may result in a visit to your property by either a Severn Trent engineer or our metering contractors.

If your issue is determined to be of high priority, a leak, for example, you will receive a call from our metering contractor within 2 hours, who will diagnose the issue over the phone so that they can arrive with the right equipment to solve the problem.

If the problem is deemed to be less urgent, then we will aim to contact you within 5 working days.

We will aim to have the problem completely resolved within 12 days of you reporting the issue.

We understand that sometimes you or your family may need long-term support.

We are able to provide tailored support for you and your household if you join our Priority Services Register.

This is a free service and means we can learn a bit more about you and help us understand your specific needs.

Our Priority Service Register is here to support everyone, whether you or a family member is facing ill-health, financial worries, language barriers or physical/psychological ill-health.

We are here to try and provide some support to you and your family during that period.