Smart meters

The benefits of smart metering

This nationwide upgrade is an important step towards easing pressure on the UK’s water resources. Smart meters will allow us to bill our customers more accurately without reliance on manual meter readings, help reduce water demand and, in time, give businesses the insights they need to manage their water more efficiently.

For customers, having a smart meter will mean accurate billing and comprehensive usage data, making it easier to track consumption, identify opportunities to save water and cut costs. Together, these benefits support a more sustainable water system for everyone. Once connected to the communications network, your smart meter will provide near real-time information about your water use.

“Smart metering will allow us immediate access to water consumption data, empowering businesses to act faster and make smarter decisions."

Mark Doherty

Head of Metering and Billing at Business Stream

The roll-out is being managed by water wholesalers throughout the UK. Each has their own plan, so timelines can vary based on location.

What does smart metering mean for your business?

Once your smart meter is installed and connected to the communications network, we’ll have access to more detailed consumption data. This means more accurate bills based on your actual water usage instead of estimates. We’ll also be able to help you to understand and reduce your water usage and spot any leaks.
The roll-out of smart metering isn’t just about ticking a regulatory box, it’s a chance to protect our water future and give businesses the opportunity to understand more about their water use, empowering them to use water wisely.

The roll-out is being managed by water wholesalers throughout the UK. Each has their own plan, so timelines can vary based on location. For businesses in England, information is available on MOSL’s smart meter implementation map.
Scottish Water plans to install 135,000 smart meters by March 2033, covering every non-household meter in the country. Scottish businesses can find out more about the roll-out in Scotland by visiting the Scottish Water website.

FAQs

Smart meters are being rolled out to help make monitoring your water use simpler, more accurate and more efficient for customers. They automatically send meter readings for every hour of every day, so you don’t need to submit them manually or rely on estimates. This means bills will be more accurate and the more granular consumption data will make it easier to manage usage, identify any spikes in consumption, and reduce costs.

Unlike traditional meters, which have to be read manually, a smart meter automatically records your water use in near real-time, helping you track your usage more accurately and spot leaks faster, saving water and money.

Smart meter upgrades are being rolled out in phases. Wholesalers are working to different timelines, but most English wholesalers are aiming to complete their roll out of smart meters by 2035.

Learn more about your water wholesaler’s specific roll-out timeline on their website.

No, your smart meter will be installed and maintained by your wholesaler for free.

Your wholesaler is required to install your smart meter as part of a national roll-out. You do not have to sign up for the installation.

Once your smart meter has been installed, there may be a period of time where we’ll continue to take meter readings manually before your water wholesaler is able to connect the new meter to the communications network (‘smart enabled’).

During this period, you can also provide your own meter readings (where it is safe to do so) to ensure your bills are as accurate as possible.

Upload a meter reading on our website here (opens in a new window)or go to 'Submit a meter reading' on your My Business Stream Account.

Meter reads from smart meters will show on bills as soon as the smart meter has been installed and enabled, which means the communications network is up and running and smart meter reads are being transmitted.

Wholesalers will begin sharing smart meter data with retailers through a central Smart Meter Read Hub, which is expected to become mandatory from December 2026. Once we start to receive this data, we’ll make it available to our customers through our online portal, My Business Stream. We’ll share more details on this as the smart meter roll‑out progresses.

If you have a data logger fitted to your current meter, your wholesaler is responsible for identifying this in advance of your smart meter fitting and for contacting us to consult on the exchange. You do not need to remove your device in advance.

A data logger (also sometimes referred to as AMR) is an additional device that is retrofitted to a traditional water meter. It records detailed consumption data, but the data has to be collected via a direct network connection or through proximity reading (often called “drive-by” reading).

Smart meters are water meters which automatically send regular consumption data back to the water wholesaler via their systems. This provides us with near real-time visibility of your usage, typically on an hourly basis. 

We’re committed to supporting the roll-out of smart meters because they play an important role in improving the service we provide and helping us all protect our water resources for the future.

Under the Water Industry Act, water wholesalers have the right to install smart meters at business premises and customers don’t have the right to refuse.

There may be a brief water supply interruption during installation. Your wholesaler will communicate with you on site about this. 

When your site has been registered for smart meter installation by your wholesaler, we’ll write to you in advance and let you know what to expect. 

You can learn more about your water wholesaler’s smart meter installation plan by visiting their website. If you’re not sure who your wholesaler is, you can find your water wholesalers details on our webpage.

For more information about the smart meter roll-out and installation plans across England, you can view MOSL’s smart meter implementation map.

While smart meters will significantly expand access to consumption data over the next few years, data loggers, also known as Automated Meter Readers (AMR), will still play an important role, especially for organisations operating across multiple wholesale regions. Data loggers help ensure businesses maintain consistent levels of detail and continuity in water data, even where smart meter capability varies from region to region.