Frequently asked questions

The South East of England is officially classed by the Government as being in ‘serious water stress’. This means demand for water is only a bit lower than the amount available, with only a small proportion left over for the environment. 

In addition, climate change is affecting how much water is available for us to supply and it is predicted that droughts will become more common and severe. The water we supply comes from local rivers and underground sources that feed rare chalk streams, which are under threat from climate change. The Hogsmill river is one of these rare chalk streams.  

So, at SES Water, we need to plan to make sure there is enough water for all our customers and to protect the environment, which provides our water supplies.

Reducing the demand for water is an important part of how we will achieve this. Evidence shows that, on average, metered customers use 15 per cent less water, meaning that by having a meter customers are not only using water more efficiently, they are – in most cases - also lowering their bills.

That’s why we’ve started to provide meters for our customers who don’t currently have one, in the hope that by 2025 90% of our customers will be on a meter. 

Many people see their water bill fall when they move to a meter, but for some it will increase. If you are worried about paying your bill, we can provide you with additional financial support. 

Please see our 'Moving to metered water bills' page for more information on when you will start paying for your water on metered charges. 

You can also visit our 'Helping you save water, energy and money' page for details of the practical advice and support we can provide to help you keep your bills affordable. 

One of our surveyors will visit your home to work out where the meter can be fitted. The majority of them will be fitted outside the boundary of your home, most often in the public footpath. However, there are some instances where we’re not able to do this, and the meter will need to be fitted inside your boundary. Don’t worry, the surveyor will post a leaflet through your door to let you know the next steps.

If the meter is being fitted outside the boundary of your home, we don’t need you to make an appointment and you don’t need to be present.   We will contact you the day before it is installed to let you know it is happening. 

We will work to make sure there is as little disruption or inconvenience as possible, all while protecting everyone’s health and safety. Where possible we will always try to complete works the same day. In some cases, a permanent reinstatement may take longer but the area will be left safe, and you will be provided details about the reinstatement process. 

You can visit our 'What happens when your meter's fitted' page for more information.

We can offer eligible customers the ‘WaterSure’ tariff.  This caps the bills for certain metered household customers at the average household bill for their area.  It applies to metered customers who receive specified benefits and: 

- Have three or more dependent children living with them; or 

- Suffer from (or have someone living with them who suffers from) a medical condition that involves using large volumes of water.

If you think you may qualify for the 'WaterSure' tariff, please contact us for more information on how to apply.  We can also offer other support with your bills, depending on your circumstances. See our 'Supporting you' page for more.

Most of the new meters we will be installing will be Elster V210 water meters, which are not smart, as with many modern electricity and gas meters that collect and send usage data on a continuous basis.

However, the Elster meters are fitted with an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) function. This allows our water meter readers to collect the data needed without having to read the meter dial. They do this by using a handheld unit which receives a radio signal from the radio module on the water meter.

Our water meters are normally located outside properties at the boundary of the street. The radio modules do not emit a signal continuously or even at frequent intervals. The radio module is idle for most of the time and only transmits for a few seconds when the water meter is being read. This typically occurs once every six months. The radio module used is very low powered at 25 milliwatts and the signal rapidly decreases with the distance travelled. The average mobile phone emits two watts, which is 80 times more than the radio modules of the water meters.

Between 2024 and 2025 we are aiming to provide smart meters to 10% of our customers. This will allow us to better understand the benefits of this technology in helping customers use water more wisely and helping us to provide a better service – for example, identifying leaks more easily and speedily).

Sadly, more than half the ‘bogus caller’ or ‘doorstep’ crimes in the UK are committed by criminals pretending to be from a water company, or from the 'water board' - which hasn’t existed for more than 30 years!   

So, it’s important to know what you can do to check that callers are genuine before you let them in.

Always remember: 

• Make sure your back door is always locked before answering the front door
• Check to see who is at the door by looking through a window or spy hole
• If you have a door chain, put it on before you open the door
• Our staff always wear a uniform and drive a company van with SES Water printed on the sides and at the back 
• Staff always carry an identity card with their photograph, name, logo and number
• Our staff will always be happy to wait for you to check who they are (we are happy for you to call us to double check their identity)
• You can set up a password that our staff will use when visiting you. Find out more about this and other support available through our Helping Hand Scheme
• If you are still not sure, call the police

In general, when we are installing water meters, we will not need to enter your home.

We will also liaise closely with local police, Neighbourhood Watch and other community groups, so that everyone knows where we are working and we can work together to keep everyone safe and prevent crimes.

We can also offer additional support, if you feel that would be suitable for you.

Our Helping Hand Scheme

We pride ourselves on providing you with a reliable supply of clean fresh drinking water. We also take our commitment to be there when you need us equally seriously.

If ever you need extra support, you can always ask for our help - please see www.seswater.co.uk/your-account/priority-customers/helping-hand-scheme.

Our Priority Services Register

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is free to join. It helps utility companies like us look after customers who have health, access or extra communication needs and helps us tailor our services to support households who need extra help.

For more details, please go to www.seswater.co.uk/your-account/priority-customers.

Once we've fitted your new water meter, we will give you details of where it can be found on the front of the information pack we'll give you.

The pack will include important information on what you may need to do next and how we reinstate areas we've needed to dig up.

In particular, we'll advise you:

• If you need to run your kitchen cold tap briefly to remove any harmless chlorine or particles
• If you have lead pipework. In which case, we recommend you run your kitchen cold tap for at least 10 minutes before using the water again. Over the following three days, you should run the tap for two minutes after not using it for a while, such as overnight. There is no cause for concern - doing this allows the pipe's natural protective layer to re-establish inside. More information can be found at on our website.
• If you should contact your electricity company or a qualified electrician to check if your water service pipe is used as an electrical earth. If so, this may need to be changed - this is more likely if your property was built before 1966

If your water pressure has reduced, you should try turning your internal stop-tap off and on a few times. This is normally located under or close to your kitchen sink. You can also try cleaning the filter (if you have one) at the end of your kitchen tap.

If we have disturbed the area around where your meter has been fitted, we'll return to restore the area within a month.

If we have needed to remove block paving or paving slabs, we will let you know this, as well as whether we have taken away for safe keeping or have left them at your property (we'll tell you exactly where).

Of course, if you have any queries or concerns about your water meter or its installation, please do contact us. You can call us on 01737 919485 or send us an email to metering@seswater.co.uk