Step one: the ten-minute check
- The rule of thumb: count bedrooms, count people. More bedrooms than people → a meter probably wins. The reverse — a full house in a small property — often does better staying unmetered.
- Then confirm it properly: the free CCW water meter calculator (the independent water watchdog) takes your real bill and honest usage and gives a personal verdict. No sign-up, no sales.
- Typical winners: single people and couples in 3-bed houses, retired people whose children have left, anyone whose rateable-value bill looks absurd against their actual use.
When NOT to switch
Big household, small home, heavy use — garden watering, daily baths, teenagers — and the meter can cost you more. That’s exactly what the calculator catches. Run it before requesting anything, and remember metering is one-way for the property after your switch-back window closes.
Step two: switch free — with the escape hatch
- Request the meter from your water company — installation is free in England & Wales, usually within a few weeks.
- Can’t be fitted? (shared pipework, some flats) — they must usually offer an assessed charge instead: a bill based on bedrooms/occupancy that’s often cheaper than the rateable-value bill. Ask for it by name if the calculator said you’d save.
- The 24-month trial: bill worse than promised? Switch back to unmetered charging any time within 24 months of installation (exception: compulsory-metering areas of England). Diary a 20-month bill review.
- Renting? If you pay the bill you can usually request the meter yourself — tenancies under 6 months need the landlord’s consent; longer ones generally don’t. Tell the landlord either way.
Already metered and struggling?
Three protections most people never use:
WaterSure caps the bill at the company average (low-income + 3 children or a medical water need), every company runs a
social tariff (15–85% off), and household water
can never be disconnected for debt in England & Wales —
the full water-bill help guide.
Do this now
Count bedrooms, count people. More bedrooms? Run the CCW calculator tonight with your latest bill — ten minutes for a personal answer worth a three-figure sum to many households.
Calculator says yes → request the free meter (or the assessed charge if one can’t be fitted), and diary a bill check at 20 months while the switch-back door is still open.