Home Appliances Why businesses re-opening should be checking water meters

Why businesses re-opening should be checking water meters

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Now that the economy is slowly on its way back to normality and the days of lockdown are soon to be behind us here in the UK, businesses are opening once again and getting ready to see their activity ramping up.

Not only does this mean a recalibration of budgets for most business owners, but it also means that previously regular payments through electric and water meters will start to be paid again.

Considering it has been a while, businesses that have been shut for quite some time throughout the lockdown should be checking their water meters upon reopening. This is to ensure you have not been overpaying for any use of water.

What are water meters?

Water meters are similar to electric meters, in that they measure and display the use of water by a building. They allow individuals to monitor the efficiency of the water supply that they use.

Most importantly, they make it possible to give a far more accurate bill – as most water retailer will based their estimations of how much water you have used on meter readings, resulting in fairer charges and much lower bills for businesses.

Why should businesses be checking them?

Businesses should be checking these upon reopening to make sure that they are calibrated accurately, as an inaccurate measurement from a poorly calibrated water meter can result in drastic overcharging when billed as a business.

Now more than ever, this check is necessary, as the water meters will not have been used during the lockdown due to the majority of businesses having to close their doors. A lack of usage can cause problems with the way the water meter measures usage, resulting in overcharging.

If you’re looking for more water meter advice, you can get in contact with a water retailer for any extra information.

How can you check water meters?

To check your water meter, you’ll need to find the location of it first. For most non-household users of water meters, this will be in a large cupboard, or within what is called a ‘meter room’, as most business buildings have a designated area for this.

To check if it is working, you can look at the most recent readings of the water meter and roughly match them up to the amount of water that has been used. For example, if you are a business that is just opening up and you can see that the readings on the meter are much higher than they should be, then you know that the meter is not well calibrated.

What if you don’t have a water meter?

If you don’t have a water meter, then it is a good idea to check your water bill and contact your water supplier. This is especially important if you feel like there are any inconsistencies with the way that your water usage is being billed.

Most household customers will not be charged for water separately from other bills, but businesses should check the tariff that they are being charged regardless of whether they are metered or not.

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