Without a meter your water service charges are usually based on the rateable value of your property (although rateable values are no longer used by local authorities for domestic purposes, we are legally entitled to use existing rateable values for calculating water charges). No matter how little water you use, the charge remains the same.

Once you have a meter installed you will be able to influence the amount you pay for water services - not just the supply of drinking water by Folkestone & Dover Water Services, but also sewage disposal provided by Southern Water Services. You will pay only for the amount of water that you use - plus a standing charge.

Installing a water meter is the only way in which you can influence your water service charges. If you believe that you use water economically, then you should look carefully at the metering option.

A property owner or tenant has the right to have a meter installed free of charge - provided that it is possible to install and would not involve the Company in unreasonable expense.

To find out whether or not you would benefit from having a water meter installed, please look at our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Contents of this page:

Supplies Which May Be Charged Only By Meter
Supplies Which The Company May Elect To Charge On A Metered Basis
Where Metering Is Not Possible

Supplies Which May Be Charged Only By Meter

In the following cases the supply to the whole Premises must be metered:

Premises receiving a supply of water for the first time
Premises where a meter is already installed unless a valid Reversion Notice has been given.

In the cases below the supply to the whole Premises must be metered unless the Company determines that metering is not reasonably practical:

Premises using a sprinkler, hosepipe or any other apparatus for garden watering (unless held in the hand at all times)
Premises having a swimming pool or pond with a capacity greater than 10,000 litres [designed to be replenished by automatic means]
In these cases where metering is not reasonably practical, non-metered charges will be payable. These charges are set out in the Schedule of Charges.

Supplies Which The Company May Elect To Charge On A Metered Basis

The Company may require that the supply to the whole Premises is metered where:

Use of the Premises as the Customer's home is not the principal use of the Premises or
there has been a change in occupation of any Domestic Premises and charges have not been demanded from the new Occupier or
any Premises are empty awaiting occupation by a new Occupier or
water is supplied for any purpose other than Domestic Purposes or
premises are used wholly for business, trade or manufacturing, or for the exercise of functions by a public authority or
any unit incorporating reverse osmosis (such as certain water softeners) is installed or
a shower unit (of a type specified under paragraph 4 of the Table to Regulation 5 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999(c) is installed or
a bath with a capacity (measured to the centre line of overflow) greater than 230 litres is installed or
premises are situated in an area designated by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions as an area of water scarcity.

Our area has water scarcity designation and we are therefore fitting meters on a Zonal basis to all properties in order to reduce consumption.

Where Metering Is Not Possible

The Company will not install a meter if it is technically impossible or it would involve unreasonable expense or it is not possible to set up a joint billing arrangement in a multi occupied property. In these circumstances, the Company will offer to charge the Customer on the Domestic Assessed tariff, but no Reversion Notice may be given, ie, it will not be possible to go back to payment based on rateable value.

The Company will offer this option where it has decided not to provide a shared meter following a request from two or more customers.

More About Water Meters:


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