Water meter or rateable value: which one costs you less?
Short answer
Without a meter you are charged on your home's rateable value, a property valuation from a rates system that ended in 1990, which has nothing to do with how much water you use. CCW's rule of thumb is that a meter is worth considering when your home has more bedrooms than people living in it. Meters are fitted free, and CCW says many water companies now give you up to two years to trial one and switch back.
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Household water suppliers you can switch to
1990
Year the rates system behind rateable values ended
2 years
Trial window many companies give before you commit
Water is the one household bill with no supplier to switch to. Your region has a single water company and that is the company you pay. The saving, where there is one, comes from how you are charged rather than from who charges you, and that is a decision you can make yourself in an afternoon. This page sets out how the unmetered charge works, when a meter usually wins, what happens if you change your mind, and what help exists for households whose usage cannot come down.
Find your water supplier by region or company area
Household water suppliers are typically tied to where you live. Select your region or known company area to get the supplier and the correct website.
Not sure which company covers your exact postcode? Use the official checker to confirm your provider.
Open Water UK postcode checkerThe checker is run by Landlord TAP, a separate company, as noted on Water UK's page.
Selected supplier details
Select an area above to show the supplier details and website.
Some homes, especially on newer developments, are served by smaller local NAV providers. If results differ, use the postcode checker and your tenancy/sale documents as the final source.
Supplier coverage references are based on Ofwat and UK Parliament water-company mapping resources (latest boundary notes published April 2024).
An unmetered water bill is not a bill for water
If your home has no water meter, nothing on the bill has been measured. Your water company works the charge out from a valuation of the property, which is why two households using very different amounts of water can pay exactly the same.
- Ofwat is blunt about it: if you do not have a water meter, your bill will not be based on how much water you use. Your company uses the rateable value of the property instead.
- A rateable value was an assessment of a property's annual rental value. Local authorities used them for the General Rates system between 1967 and 1990, and water companies kept the approach after privatisation.
- That system ended in 1990, so the valuation driving your bill is a historic one rather than a current view of the property.
- With a meter you pay for the water you actually use, plus a standing charge covering costs that are not linked to usage.
- Fitting a meter is the only lever a household has here. There is no second water company to take your business to, so there is no deal to hunt for and nothing to compare.
Sources: Ofwat, unmetered customers (read 1 September 2026); CCW, how is my water bill calculated (read 1 September 2026)
Count the bedrooms against the people
There is a well-worn filter for this, and it comes from the statutory consumer body rather than from anyone selling anything.
- CCW puts it this way: if you live on your own, or have more bedrooms in your property than occupants, you may be able to save money if you choose to have a water meter fitted.
- The logic is that the rateable value charge scales with the property while a metered charge scales with the household. A roomy home with one or two people in it is where the two diverge most.
- It is a filter, not an answer. CCW publishes a water meter calculator that takes your household details and estimates what a metered bill would look like, so you can compare two numbers instead of a number and a hunch.
- Water companies install meters for free, and unless fitting one is impractical or would involve unreasonable cost, a company must comply with a household request for a meter.
- In England, where the company is obliged to act on your request, it must begin measuring your supply within eight weeks of the day you ask.
Sources: CCW, tips to cut your water bill (read 1 September 2026); CCW, should I get a water meter fitted (read 1 September 2026); Ofwat, metered customers and applying for metered charges (read 1 September 2026)
Five steps to settle the meter question
- 1
Count bedrooms against occupants
CCW's filter is whether your home has more bedrooms than people living in it. If it does, a meter is worth pricing up. If it does not, the unmetered charge is more likely to be the cheaper of the two.
- 2
Find the annual total on your current bill
An unmetered bill states the rateable value your company has used and the annual charge that follows from it. That total is the number a metered bill has to beat.
- 3
Run CCW's water meter calculator
The calculator estimates a metered bill from your household details, which turns the decision into a comparison rather than a guess.
- 4
Ask your water company to fit a meter
Household customers in England and Wales can ask for a meter free of charge, and the company must comply unless installing one is impractical or would cost an unreasonable amount.
- 5
Diarise the switch back deadline
CCW says many companies allow up to two years to trial a meter and return to unmetered charges. Keep that date with your renewal dates, because the option expires quietly.
Trying a meter, and going back if it costs you more
The reason this decision is lower risk than it sounds is that for most households it is reversible, but the exceptions are large and worth checking before you apply.
- CCW: many water companies will now give you up to two years to trial a meter and switch back if you are unhappy or not saving money.
- CCW also says the meter is fitted free and that you can switch back to the unmetered charge within two years if you are unhappy with the change, except for customers in areas of England where compulsory metering is being introduced.
- CCW names the exceptions: customers of Southern Water, South East Water, Affinity Water and Thames Water do not have the option to switch back to unmeasured charges, because of those companies' compulsory metering programmes.
- Because CCW's wording is that many companies now offer up to two years, confirm the window with your own company before you apply rather than assuming you have the full two years.
Sources: CCW, should I get a water meter fitted (read 1 September 2026); CCW, millions of households given more time to trial a water meter (read 1 September 2026)
Flats and shared supplies: the assessed charge
Plenty of flats share a single supply pipe, which makes individual metering impractical. That is not the end of the route out of a rateable value bill.
- Ofwat: if you cannot have a water meter installed, your water company must offer you an assessed charge as an alternative to your standard unmetered charge.
- An assessed charge is an estimate of what your metered bill might have been had a meter been installed.
- Ofwat says a single occupier assessed charge should reflect the volume of water likely to be supplied to premises occupied by one person, which is exactly the household the rateable value charge tends to overcharge.
- Assessed charges apply where the company received a request for measured charges but was not obliged to meet it, because metering the premises is not reasonably practicable or would involve unreasonable costs.
Sources: Ofwat, assessed charges (read 1 September 2026)
This is an England and Wales decision
- Every rule on this page comes from Ofwat and CCW. GOV.UK describes CCW as representing water and sewerage consumers in England and Wales, and Ofwat's metering guidance is written for residential customers in England and Wales.
- If your address is in Scotland or Northern Ireland, start with your own provider rather than with this page. The finder below lists them alongside the England and Wales companies.
- The finder is a directory, not a lookup. Taupia does not check your postcode: the postcode checker it links to is the official one published by Water UK.
Sources: GOV.UK, Consumer Council for Water (read 1 September 2026); Ofwat, metered customers and applying for metered charges (read 1 September 2026)
There is no commission in water, which is rather the point
Comparison sites have no reason to write this page, because there is nothing on it to compare. That is exactly why it is here.
- Household water is a regional monopoly. There is no supplier to switch to, no deal to be introduced to, and no commission for anyone to earn from anything on this page.
- Taupia still tracks the bill: what you pay, when it is due, and each housemate's share on the split rule your household sets.
- Helping with the bills nobody earns a fee on is the difference between a bill manager and a lead generator. Water and the TV Licence are the two clearest cases of it.
- If you are moving into a new address rather than reviewing a bill you already have, the setup guide is the one you want: it covers registering as the occupier and taking the opening reading.
Unmetered against metered, side by side
| What you are asking | How the two charges differ |
|---|---|
| What the bill is based on | Unmetered: the rateable value of the property. Metered: the volume of water you use, plus a standing charge. |
| Does using less cut the bill | Unmetered: no, because nothing is measured. Metered: yes. |
| Who it tends to suit | Unmetered: households with more people than bedrooms. Metered: single occupiers, and homes with more bedrooms than people. |
| Cost to change | Nothing. Water companies install meters for free. |
| Can you undo it | CCW says many companies allow up to two years to switch back. Customers of Southern Water, South East Water, Affinity Water and Thames Water cannot, because of compulsory metering. |
| If a meter cannot be fitted | Your company must offer an assessed charge as an alternative. |
Questions households ask before asking for a meter
Can I switch water supplier to get a cheaper bill?
No. Household water and wastewater services come with the address, so there is one company for your region and no market to shop in. The only lever you have is how you are charged, which is what the meter decision is.
Will a water meter definitely make my bill cheaper?
No, and CCW does not claim it will. Its rule of thumb is that a meter is worth considering if you live on your own or have more bedrooms than occupants. Below that, a metered bill can easily come out higher, so run CCW's calculator before you apply.
Can I go back to unmetered charges if the meter costs me more?
Usually yes. CCW says many water companies now give up to two years to trial a meter and switch back. Customers of Southern Water, South East Water, Affinity Water and Thames Water do not have that option, because those companies run compulsory metering programmes.
Does it cost anything to have a water meter fitted?
No. Water companies install meters for free, and a company must comply with a household request for one unless fitting a meter is impractical or would involve unreasonable cost.
What if my flat cannot have a meter fitted?
Ofwat says your company must then offer you an assessed charge, which estimates what a metered bill would have been. For a one-person household, the single occupier assessed charge should reflect the volume one person is likely to use.
We cannot use less water. Is there any help?
Two schemes. WaterSure caps the bill of metered customers on an income-related benefit who have three or more children under 19 at home or a qualifying medical condition. Separately, every water company runs a social tariff for customers on a low income, though eligibility and the level of support vary by company.
Does Taupia earn anything if I switch to a meter?
No. There is no water supplier to switch you to and no commission anywhere in this bill. Taupia tracks water alongside your other household bills, and that is the whole of our interest in it.
Where to go next
The setup guide is for people arriving at a new address. Everything else here is for a bill you already hold.
Start here
Water bill setup when you move in
RecommendedMoving rather than reviewing? Find the supplier for the address, take the opening reading, and check the first bill against your move-in date.
Manage bills
The hub for the bills you keep paying: what each costs, when it renews, and who has paid their share.
Council tax discounts and exemptions
The other household bill with no supplier to switch. Check which discounts and exemptions you could be claiming.
Split bills with housemates
How to divide a water bill in a shared house, when the meter reads one number for everybody.
Official references
CCW water meter calculator
OfficialEstimate a metered bill from your household details before you apply.
CCW help with water bills
OfficialWaterSure, social tariffs, payment plans and payment breaks, company by company.
Ofwat guidance for unmetered customers
OfficialThe regulator's explanation of rateable value charging and what it is based on.
Find your water supplier
OfficialThe official Water UK postcode checker for confirming the company for your address.
Keep the water bill where you can see it
Taupia tracks water alongside energy, broadband, mobile and council tax, with renewal dates and each housemate's share on the rule your household sets.