Maltby East Councillor visits Yorkshire Water smart meter upgrade programme

Councillor Adam Tinsley of Maltby East visited Yorkshire Water's smart meter upgrade programme in the Rotherham area to understand more about the benefits it will bring to help customers save money, help Yorkshire Water find leaks and save water.   

Yorkshire Water and its contract partners M Group and Aquaforce are currently in the S66 area of Rotherham as part of its five-year plan to upgrade over 1.4 million meters to smart water meters across the Yorkshire region. 

Cllr Tinsley said: “I was pleasantly surprised how quick and easy it was to upgrade to a new smart water meter.  It took just 20-minutes to exchange the old meter, and supply returned as soon as it was complete. 

“I’m very keen to get one myself and see what difference it makes to my water usage and my bills. Smart meters ultimately allow people to see how much water they are using, helping to identify any leaks and helping metered customers save money on their bills.” 

Yorkshire Water customers upgrading to smart meters will be able to get almost real-time visibility of their water usage across the day.  Once the smart meter is active, customers will be able to see their water usage on their online account and understand how much water they are using.   

Yorkshire Water started the roll out of our smart water meter upgrade programme in January and has now moved to Rotherham.  It will see the installation of smart water meters in homes and businesses across the region, designed to enhance customer support, provide service improvements and reduce leakage.  

The utility is working towards halving leakage across the network by 2050.  Smart metering will give greater visibility of what is happening across the network in hourly readings. Customers will be able to see unusual or unexpected readings on their smart meters and Yorkshire Water will be able to detect leakages early, before they become bursts, which can be both costly and disruptive.  

James Wilson, smart meter delivery manager, said: “We started our smart meter programme journey in 2022 and since that date we have saved 2.5 million litres of water per day, just by identifying leaks in customers’ pipes.   

“As the smart water meter roll-out expands, it will help customers to save money on their bills, help us to spot and fix leaks sooner and help us all to save water. The meter upgrade will help us carry on with improvements and be able to provide our customers with a better, more reliable service.”  

The meter upgrade is straightforward and shouldn’t take any longer than about 20 minutes.  If the existing meter is outside, customers don’t have to do anything. The engineer will knock on the door just to let them know who they are and what they are doing and then just carry on and get the job done. Customers don’t have to be at home for engineers to swap the new meter if it is outdoors. 

Customers with an existing meter indoors will receive a text to let them know our engineers will be in the area in the next few weeks so they can make an appointment that is convenient for them. 

Water will be turned off very briefly as the meter is exchanged. A convenient appointment can be arranged for any customers with a medical need or who are on the priority services register (PSR), regardless of whether the existing meter is indoors or outdoors. 

Yorkshire Water operates a Priority Services Register (PSR) - a useful and free services for customers who may need a little extra help.  The service offers accessible bills such as braille, large print or over the phone.  PSR customers receive bottled water if there is an interruption to service and we can set up a calling system for anyone concerned about unwanted callers.  Customers can also nominate someone else to manage their account on their behalf.  Visit the Yorkshire Water website for details here:  www.yorkshirewater.com/bill-account/priority-services-register/