A water meter is an essential device for monitoring the amount of water used by businesses.  The majority of businesses in England and Scotland have a water meter installed to measure the usage of water on their property.

Usually, businesses will have their water meter located where the main water pipe enters the site boundary. If you are unsure where your water meter is located then you can use our Locate your water meter service to try and find it.

Part of the makeup of your business water rate charges is based on the amount of water that your business uses and the amount of wastewater that your business puts back down the drain. This is measured by your business water meter.

On the front of your business water meter, there is a dial and this measures the volume of water that passes through the meter, enabling your water supplier to bill you accurately for what you use. The water is measured in cubic meters (m3).

You will then be charged for a rate for your water usage by your water supplier.

For example, if you have used 10m3 of water in a month and your water unit rate charge is £1.32 per m3 then your water usage charge will be £13.20 for the month.

Water Usage Example – 10m3 x £1.32 = £13.20

The majority of businesses are not in a business water contract, therefore they will be paying a higher rate than they need to be for their business water usage and wastewater usage. To get a more competitive rate businesses should compare water providers and move into a contract. You should also be aware that there are other charges associated with your business water contract, not just water and wastewater usage.

Small businesses tend to have more compact water meters, usually tucked away inside their premises near where the main water pipe enters the property. Larger businesses may have one or more meters and they could be located anywhere around the site.

If you are having difficulty locating your business water meter then use our Locate my water meter service and The Business Water Shop will be able to help you.

Yes. If you do not have a water meter at your property you can contact your water wholesaler to request a meter installation for your business. This will usually come at a cost and this cost varies on a number of factors.

The Business Water Shop is also able to give you a quote on a water meter installation for your business, independent of a water retailer. Get in touch at contact@thebusinesswatershop.co.uk

A handful one water suppliers will offer you a SMART meter as part of their offering to supply your business. This sometimes may come at an additional cost to your service or at cost neutral and included in your package.

You can also pay to have a SMART meter installed at your property even if you are not initially offered one when you choose to switch. This is likely to come at an extra cost. If you are interested in this then The Business Water Shop has a range of options that can support your needs. Contact us for further details on the installation of SMART water meters.

If your think that your water meter might be faulty and you are being overcharged for water that you are not using then you can undertake a business water audit to try and identify the leak and claim the money back.

A business water audit helps keep business overheads down. Your business can receive a refund for historic overcharges or leaks that you may not even know about, at the same time this will reduce your invoices moving forward.

If you think that your business water meter is leaking and you may be paying for water that you are not using then you should, if you are able to, take a quick leak test.

To take a leak test you should first take an initial meter reading. Then don’t use any water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, you should then take another meter reading. If these two water meter readings are different then water is escaping somewhere within the network.

To identify where the water is escaping from you should turn off the internal stop tap. Again, wait for 30 minutes and take another meter read. If it has changed then the water is escaping externally. If there is no change then the water is escaping internally.

Internal leaks are usually the customer’s responsibility and external leaks are usually the wholesaler’s responsibility.

If you think you have had a leak for a while you can undertake a business water audit to identify the leaks and try to claim money back from your water provider.

A standpipe is a free-standing pipe, fitted with a tap. This can be attached to a washout hydrant to have a water supply where there is no source for one.