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Smart Metering Privacy Policy

The information below tells you what data we collect when you have a smart meter installed at your home or business premises, and details of how we keep your smart meter data secure as well as how we use it. This policy should be read in conjunction with United Utilities’ Data Protection and Privacy Policy.

Smart meters, sometimes referred to as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters, remotely transmit your water consumption data via a wireless network to us. They will give us data to help you reduce water usage and be in control of your water bill. "Personal data" includes any information that can identify you, either on its own or when combined with other information.

  • United Utilities are committed to water conservation and ensuring a sustainable water supply for the future. We are experiencing an increase in water demand due to population growth in addition to the region seeing more variable rain patterns due to climate change. Smart metering is critical for demand reduction as it enables efficient and accurate water usage monitoring, helping both customers and United Utilities manage resources effectively.

    Smart meters collect data on water usage on an hourly basis for household and for non-household customers. This will enable more bills to be based on actual meter reads rather than estimates, identify leaks, and provide usage insights to customers and retailers. The meter sends data to us at least daily. This means the data is not live (or in real-time).

    Before we install a smart meter at your home or business, we will write to you to let you know we’re coming. We’ll also knock on the door to introduce ourselves on the day, before we install the meter. If you are not in, we will leave behind material informing you that you have a new smart meter including details to use should you need to contact us. If you’ve moved into a property that already has a meter and you’re unsure if it is a smart meter, if you’re a household customer, you can find out by contacting us on 0345 026 3813 and if you’re a non-household customer, you can contact your retailer.

  • We will install a smart meter as standard from April 2025 for any new meter installations or replacements.

    We have four programmes that require the installation of a smart meter. These are:

    • Upon a customers request, we offer metering for existing unmeasured (non-metered) household customers through our Free Meter Options. You will receive a Lowest Bill Guarantee in accordance with our metering policy, allowing you to switch to a measured bill. If you choose to remain on an unmeasured charge, the meter will remain installed.

    • Selective metering (also referred to as enhanced metering for household customers) of existing unmeasured household and non-household customers to increase meter penetration. In this case, if you’re a household customer, you would be offered a Lowest Bill Guarantee in line with our metering policy, however the meter will remain in place whether or not you switch to a measured bill.

    • When your existing household or non-household meter needs replacing, we will replace it with a smart meter, consistent with our meter replacement policy.

    • We have a compulsory metering policy for new developments and property conversions, which will have a smart meter fitted as standard.

    If your property is located in an area that does not yet have smart communications infrastructure installed by the time your smart meter is installed, your meter will not operate as smart until the smart infrastructure needed to support the meter sending data to us has been installed.

  • When a smart meter is installed we update information about the meter into our own systems and the Central Market Operating System (CMOS) for non-household premises to ensure that the meter provides the right information for the correct property. We collect the following:

    Meter location and identification number

    • Meter serial number and Communications ID - a unique identification number used to identify individual smart meters
    • Meter location data recording where the meter has been installed

    Water consumption data in litres

    • Hourly flow data for household and small non-household customers and 15-minute flow data for medium and large non-household customers with a time stamp for what time period the flow occurred

    • Minimum flow helps identify if there’s a continuous low-level water flow, which could indicate leaks, inefficient fixtures, or baseline usage when no active water usage is expected.

    Other data

    • The meter monitors set parameters and informs us of a potential issue by raising an alarm. This could indicate an issue with the meter or the flow of water to allow us to investigate and act if required. Alarms include battery failure, tampering, continuous flow, and reverse flow.

    How long will we keep your smart meter data?

    • The reads we use for billing purposes are stored within our billing system. These will be based on the billing frequency for each individual customer although will typically be one read every six months.
    • We will only keep your smart meter data for as long as is necessary and for the purpose for which it was collected. Retention periods for smart meter data vary depending on type and purpose.

    Automated Decision making

    Given our significant smart meter installation programme from April 2025, a level of automated decision making is necessary. This will be focused on;

    • Understanding how our assets are performing and where and when we need to act
    • Where there may be leaks within customer properties or on our network
    • How you are using water and United Utilities providing information back to you or your retailer if you’re a non-household customer, on your water use or how you could save water.

    The data we collect is combined with other data including personal data that has already been collected by us for various purposes for example customer name, contact details, property identification information and account information. For more information on how United Utilities uses personal data, please refer to our Data Protection and Privacy Policy

    When we install a meter or you contact us for assistance, we will record relevant information, including event data and notes on our interaction with you.

  • Why 

    Legal Basis
    To detect leaks

    Smart meter data allows us to detect leaks remotely and more frequently. Once a leak is identified, we can work with our customers and retailers (for business customers) to address the issue, prevent water waste and any potential charges for water being lost. Early leak detection and intervention reduces water waste and can prevent costly damage for customers, as well as enhancing overall water efficiency.    		 Public Task / Legal Obligation
    Improved asset maintenance

    Where a meter has stopped working or is recording zero consumption we can quickly spot the issue and understand if there is an issue for remediation.    		 Public Task / Legal Obligation

    To improve billing processes 

    Frequent consumption data taken from smart meters ensures that measured bills are based on the latest meter reads. 

    By collecting flow data daily, we are able to support customers, retailers and United Utilities with billing queries, property moves, void property management or if you report potential leakage at your property.

    		 Legal Obligations / Legitimate Interest

    Water Efficiency Reporting

    Since smart meters collect data automatically and frequently, water efficiency reports become more precise. This improves accountability and transparency for both customers and regulatory bodies, leading to better water resource management. 

    		 Legitimate Interest / Legal Obligations

    Network Management

    Using data from smart meters will help us calculate how much water we are losing through leakage in the network and help us direct our engineers to the right areas to find and fix leaks.

    		 Public Task

    Regulatory Reporting

    Data from smart meters will help us better understand actual consumption within a local area also known as DMA (District Metered Area) enabling us to report more accurately what is consumption and what is leakage daily.

    We can also improve the assumptions within our calculations about how much water and when water is used for unmetered customers at night to further improve our leakage calculations.

    		 Legal Obligation / Legitimate Interest

    Consumption Insights

    Consumption insights are provided to our household customer service agents to enhance support, enabling more engagement with customers regarding their water usage. We may offer some insights to retailers and their customers by agreement.

    Collecting regular meter readings enables us to enhance our support for customers with billing questions and provide usage comparison information to help you better understand your water consumption.

    These readings allow us to offer insights into your water usage patterns, including details on when and how much water is used. We may also share tips to help you manage your water consumption more effectively. 

    We may provide services through our online digital channels, that help you understand your use and how it's changed over time.

    		 Legitimate Interest

    Partner Management 

    We have contracted with a Smart Metering Service Provider who will provide the communication network for our smart meters.

    		 Legitimate Interest / Public Task

    Innovation

    As we increase our smart meter rollout, we may look at innovation opportunities that help us improve our water network resilience whilst improving our service to customers and retailers.

    		 Legitimate Interest

     

  • We may share data with the following categories of third parties:-

    • with our Smart Partner who transmits the data from the meters to our systems
    • with your retailer and the Market Operator Services Ltd (MOSL) if you are a non-household customer
    • with our third party suppliers and contractors who carry out tasks and activities using smart meter data on our behalf, e.g. contractors (who need this information to carry out work for us such as installing meters or fixing leaks on our network), bill printing service providers
    • with Business Process Outsourcers (e.g. a supplier providing bill printing services)
      • with organisations who will bill on our behalf, such as retailers for non-household customers, utilities with shared borders (Welsh Water, Northumbrian Water, Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water)
      • Organisations such as New Appointements and Variations (NAVs) to enable us to calculate foul water charges for billing
    • with Debt Collection Agencies and solicitor firms instructed by us to recover customer debt
    • with third parties making disclosure requests permitted by data protection legislation, e.g. police, local authorities, HMRC, our economic regulator (Ofwat)
    • with regulators who require us to share smart meter data for regulatory investigations, such as the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and with the Consumer Council for Water
    • with research organisations for research (on an anonymised, non-personal basis)
    • with our IT partners who host, manage and develop IT solutions for us

    Please note: when we use third party organisations to help provide services to you, we have contracts in place with them to ensure they only act in accordance with our instructions. They won’t share your personal data with any other organisation unless they are instructed by us to do so. They will hold it securely and retain it for the period we instruct.