Investing in your future
At South East Water, we believe that the future of water management lies in innovation and transparency. That is why smart metering is a key part of our five year business plan. Adding smart meters to our network will help reduce leakage and make sure your water supply is more reliable.
Our journey so far
In January 2026 we began upgrading meters in parts of Kent. This is a big change in how we manage our network. We aren't just swapping out old hardware; we’re making our water network ‘smart’.
By the end of March 2026, we successfully completed our first year of the rollout. We are proud to share that our teams have already upgraded over 16,000 meters in homes and businesses across the region.
Why we’re doing it
We know that for our customers, seeing is believing. Once these meters connect to our smart meter technology, you’ll be able to see exactly how much water you’re using in close to real-time. Our goal is to give you more control over your consumption and your bills.
But the benefits are wider than just your home. This technology acts as our ‘eyes and ears’ underground.
Our aim is to deliver a resilient water future for our customers and deploying smart meters is a big part of that mission. We want to empower our customers by providing them with more timely information on how much water they are using and how much money they are spending. Smart meter technology also provides our team with the level of visibility required to identify customer-side leaks more quickly, leading to faster interventions and a reduction in water lost through leakage. Rowena Hammond, our Head of Customer Demand Management.
What happens next?
We’re planning for the long haul. The programme will last for ten years, and we’re aiming to upgrade approximately 880,000 meters to smart technology by 2035.
We have now officially moved into year two of the programme. We plan to upgrade another 12,500 meters by March 2027. We’re making good progress, our teams are out in the community, making sure you have a reliable water supply in the future.
To find out more about the meter upgrade programme please click here.(opens in a new tab)