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• Request a meter

Request a meter

How do I switch to a water meter?

To apply for a water meter please complete our online application form.

We will visit your premises and provide you with an estimate for the cost of installation.

Installation charges

There is a charge for the installation of a meter at a commercial property. An estimate of the cost of installation will be provided after a survey has been carried out.

• The meter will be fitted internally where practicable. If not practicable the meter will be fitted outside

• Where the premises is fed by a service pipe on 15mm or 20mm internal diameter there is a standard installation charge

• Commercial premises fed by a service pipe of 25mm or greater diameter are charged by individual estimate

We aim to install your meter within 30 days subject to no delays beyond Cambridge Water's control (i.e. a delay in your acceptance of the survey results). This is in line with Ofwat guidance. If we fail to install the meter within the timescale, we do offer a compensation payment (Add link) as part of our customer charter.

Where will the meter be installed?

Our surveyor will visit you to see if it is possible to install a meter. If it is possible, Cambridge Water will install the meter inside the property at a convenient location. In deciding the most convenient location we will take account of your wishes, where reasonably practicable, and of any special needs that you may have. If the meter cannot be installed inside the property we will look to install the meter at the stop tap near the boundary of the property.

After our survey is complete we will ask you to confirm the location of the meter by signing an approval form.

Remote reading devices are connected to most of our meters so that meter readers can generally take readings without disturbing you. The meter will be placed in a position where you can also read it.

Can I request an alternative location?

If you would like the meter installed at a different location inside or outside the property you will be responsible for any additional charges. In this instance our surveyor will provide an estimate of cost.

Please note there is no allowance in the standard installation charges for surface reinstatement, other than the reinstatement of soft ground or for the use of tarmac in hard areas. Any special requirement will be agreed with the customer and estimated separately.

You have a responsibility to provide reasonable access to the meter reading equipment for routine reading, ad-hoc reading and repairs. If continued access to the equipment is denied, Cambridge Water may suspend the charging based on meter usage and an alternative charging method will be applied.

Installation by a third party

Once we have surveyed the property, you may opt to have the meter fitted by your own contractor, or fit the meter yourself. The work must be carried out to Cambridge Water specifications using an encoded water meter and touchpad purchased from Cambridge Water, and using materials approved by us. This is so that we can read and maintain the meter in the future. We will also have to inspect the installation and will not be able to charge for water on a metered basis until we have approved the work.

Cambridge Water will not reimburse you for the cost of installation if you would have been entitled to a free meter installation, but choose instead for a third party to install the meter.

Ownership of the meter

Irrespective of who installs the meter, it will remain, or become the property of Cambridge Water.

Compulsory metering

Cambridge Water plans to meter the remaining 1000 commercial premises located in its supply zone within the next five years.

The company has the right to meter the whole property where the principal use of the premises is for business. Examples of this include hotels where the landlord also lives, or properties which contain a caretaker's flat or shops containing a flat or shopkeeper.

The occupier of a property which is primarily used as a home, but also used as a business, may elect to be charged on an unmeasured basis.

All new supplies will be metered.

The company may also require meters to be installed in:

1) Properties that have been split or merged into a different number of premises

2) Premises that do not have a charging value

3) Swimming pools, garden ponds, fishing lakes and environmental water areas

4) Public houses

5) Short-stay accommodation (guest houses, hotels and other short-stay accommodation)

6) Sprinklers and automatic watering devices

New occupiers

Cambridge Water can elect to charge a new occupier metered charges as long as the new occupier has not been billed for unmetered charges.

We cannot charge a new occupier metered charges if one of the original occupiers still resides in the property.

Meter relocation

Cambridge Water's meters must not be relocated without our permission.

If you wish to alter the location please contact us to discuss.

To remove a meter that belongs to Cambridge Water is a criminal offence. Any meter installation found to be removed without prior consent of the company shall be replaced at full cost to the customer.