An open water meter chamber in a front garden path, its lid lifted beside it and the round meter face visible under the morning light
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodlecubic

WHAT THE METER COUNTS

A thousand litres
at a time.

1 m³ = 1,000 litres

  • Black numbers are cubic metres
  • Red numbers are litres
  • A creeping dial can mean a leak
  • One meter, three readings

Your water meter counts in cubic metres.

One cubic metre is 1,000 litres, a cube of water one metre on each side. Learn to read the black and red numbers and the meter becomes a handy gauge for showers, baths and hidden leaks.

Updated

What fills a cubic metre

THE SHORT ANSWER

Read the black,
watch the red.

The meter shows the same water twice:
whole cubic metres and the litres in between.

READING

Black numbers, cubic metres

The black digits show your use in cubic metres. They are the numbers your water company asks for when you send a reading.

How to read it

SCALE

One cube, 1,000 litres

A cubic metre holds 1,000 litres. The red numbers or dials count the litres inside the current cubic metre.

What fills a cube

LEAKS

A meter that moves at rest

With every tap and appliance off, the reading should not rise. Wait 30 minutes for cisterns to fill, then check again.

The leak check

WHAT FILLS A CUBIC METRE

Where do the
litres go?

Pick an everyday use of water to see how many litres it takes and how many of them fit in one cubic metre. The bar shows how quickly it fills the cube.

Cube filler

Choose a use
Flushing a dual-flush toilet4–6 litres

A dual-flush toilet uses 4 to 6 litres, so a cubic metre covers well over 150 flushes. Older toilets can use up to 13 litres a flush.

A washing machine load50 litres

A normal load uses about 50 litres and an eco load about 35, so one cubic metre is around 20 normal loads.

A full bath80 litres

A full bath uses about 80 litres, so a cubic metre fills roughly 12 of them. A shallower bath uses less.

A 10-minute power shower150 litres

Power and mixer showers use around 15 litres a minute, so ten minutes is about 150 litres. An electric shower uses about 6 litres a minute.

Washing the car with a hose300 litres

A hosepipe car wash uses about 300 litres, nearly a third of a cubic metre. A bucket wash uses about 30.

Source: CCW (Consumer Council for Water), How much water do you use? Litres per use are CCW averages.

Litre figures are the averages CCW publishes; your own taps, appliances and habits will differ. Counts per cubic metre are simple division of 1,000 litres.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

About a week
per cubic metre.

How much one person uses in a day,
and how that differs with a meter.

137 litres

Litres per person per day, England and Wales

Discover Water, using Water UK figures, puts average use at 137 litres per person per day. At that rate one cubic metre lasts one person a little over a week.

DAILY USE · WATER UK

122 vs 175 litres

Daily use with and without a meter

In April 2024 to March 2025, customers with a water meter used 122 litres per person per day on average, against 175 litres for customers without one.

METERED HOMES · WATER UK

Discover Water says metered customers tend to use less because they think more about their water use. Ofwat's leaflet said about 40% of customers in England and Wales had a meter when it was written.

FOUR STEPS TO A READING

Lift the lid,
read the black.

A bathroom with a toilet cistern lid lifted and resting on the seat while someone checks inside for a slow leak
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Reading a water meter takes a couple of minutes once you know where it is and which numbers matter.

  1. Find the meter

    Most sit outside near the boundary in a chamber with a lid marked water. Indoor meters are usually near the stop tap, often under the kitchen sink.

  2. Uncover the face

    Lift the chamber lid, with a flat-headed screwdriver if needed, and move any polystyrene frost cover aside. Put it back afterwards.

  3. Check the serial number

    Match the serial number on the meter with the one on your bill, so you know you are reading your own meter and not a neighbour's.

  4. Note the black numbers

    Write down or photograph the black digits, the cubic metres. On a digital meter, use the numbers on the first line.

THE LEAK CHECK

Turn it all off,
then look again.

A hand holding a pencil and notebook beside an indoor water meter fitted on a copper pipe under a kitchen sink
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

If you are on a meter, Discover Water suggests a simple test: turn off every tap and water appliance, wait 30 minutes so any cisterns can refill, then see whether the reading is still rising.

Wessex Water says the small meter dial spins quickly when water is used and may turn slowly with a small leak. Hidden leaks can sit behind appliances, in tanks or in an overflowing toilet cistern. If you find one, Discover Water advises using a WaterSafe approved plumber.

Questions

Questions people ask

How many litres are in a cubic metre?

1,000 litres. Water meters in England and Wales record your use in cubic metres, which is why the numbers move slowly from day to day.

Which numbers do I give my water company?

The black numbers, which are whole cubic metres. The red numbers show litres and are not needed for a reading. On a digital meter use the first line.

Where is my water meter?

Usually outside near the front boundary in a small chamber, or on a wall box. Inside, look near the stop tap, often under the kitchen sink. In flats it may be in a communal cupboard.

How can a meter show a leak?

Turn off all taps and appliances and wait 30 minutes for cisterns to refill. If the reading is still rising, or the small dial is slowly turning, water may be escaping somewhere.

What is a smart water meter?

A meter that records use automatically and sends readings to the water company. CCW says it should alert you to constant water use, which could indicate a leak.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. Ofwat: Water meters, your questions answered (household leaflet)
  2. Wessex Water: Finding and reading your water meter
  3. CCW: How much water do you use?
  4. CCW: Smart water meters for households
  5. Discover Water: The amount we use
  6. Discover Water: Leaking pipes

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